WARRIOR PRINCESS By BarbieLee.

Neal wanders into a business, having just been laid off from his job, looking for work. What he finds will stretch his ability to understand and cope with major life changes.

CHAPTER ONE OF THREE.

The 'Help Wanted Inquire Within' sign on the window was innocent enough. I was a Technical Laboratory Engineer. It was another way of saying I set up research and development labs before a company stocked them with their people. Chemical labs, Research and Development labs, Computer labs, Micro Processor Labs... Name a lab and, more than likely, I set it up or one just like it. Like all jobs, mine wasn’t immune to the recession.

“Hate to let you go Neal. You made my company look good.” Bill Meyers said, as he handed me a ten thousand dollar severance check, along with his goodbye speech three months earlier. At least it wasn’t a gold watch, but when one isn’t working the hard truth is, the savings are going to run out if one isn’t flush with lots of squirreled funds. I had saved some money, but not the kind to be able to quit working for a salary.

I had stopped and was looking at the sign. It didn’t explain what kind of help they wanted and the building didn’t give a clue to what they did. It was a nice looking building, the entrance was immaculate. As far as windows? There weren’t any. I looked for a company name. If I had installed a lab for them they would know the quality of my work. No name on the building or the entrance. I looked for a street number. I could look up the name by searching the street number on my notepad. No street number either. I looked at the building across the street. Four twenty one six nine and I was on Kelmer Ave. This building would be an even numbered building then. I did a search on all the four twenty one six even numbers. There was a Financial Solutions and a Carrier business listed on this side of the block, but this one wasn’t one of them.

Out of curiosity, more than anything else, I opened the door and went in to see what kind of business this was. Behind a desk there was a very attractive lady off to my right. She had long, wavy auburn hair draped over her left shoulder. Her eyes were the bluest blue I had ever seen. I immediately suspected contacts were helping. Her heart shaped lips were glossed with the most liquid pink lipstick I had ever seen. Her eyelashes, were long and thick. She had high cheekbones. She was a knockout in the looks department. That was before my focus dropped a couple degrees. I got a better than good look at perfect breasts, exposed enough to be seductive and yet perfectly innocent.

“May I help you?” Her voice was more of a purr than words.

“Uh, yeah, I noticed the help wanted sign out front. I have a resume with me. I was wondering what kind of company this is and if I might qualify?” I wasn’t ready to open my briefcase and hand out a resume just yet. They weren’t that expensive to print up, but they did cost. I still had no idea what kind of help they wanted. I wasn’t ready to be a short order cook or dishwasher just yet. That might come, but not today.

She reached over to her right and picked up a page from a stack of papers. She held it out to me. “We are a security company. We hire all skills or trades. You look clean enough and your manners indicate you are management. If you have experience in logistics, management of more than one job at the same time, and can guide and instruct others in the performance of their duties, you could start in a leadership position in our company.”

I looked at the paper she handed me. The top word was Management. Below that were levels of management positions designated by the first being level one and the second being level two and on down to level eight. To the right of the page opposite of the level positions were numbers. Level one was one million six hundred thousand. Level two was one million three hundred thousand.

I looked up at the lady. “These numbers…?

“Those are salaries per Earth year.” She picked up another piece of paper and held it up.

I honestly choked. “Dollars?” I managed to cough out.

“Payment is in gold, not dollars. It can be direct deposit, or one can accept it personally.”

“Damn...” Slipped out before I got hold of my mind thought. “That would be a lot of weight accepting that kind of money each month.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Personal payment is weekly unless one is on location where it would be inconvenient. Most of our employees set up direct deposit for their wages.

“So... if I’m hired and I want a direct deposit to my bank in St. Louis, then the funds would be sent there every week? That would probably cause some problems. I can’t imagine them changing gold into my account so I could withdraw to pay the utilities and other bills.” I was staring at the Level Eight. If I was hired that would be my position. I would be the bottom new guy. Still seven hundred thousand a year wasn’t anything to sneeze at. I could learn to love security work at that price.

“Do you want the job?” She was still holding onto the last sheet of paper she picked up.

I nodded, even if I couldn’t do the work and was let go thirty days later the paycheck would be over thirteen thousand…? No wait, I’d be making close to sixty thousand a month! “Where is the application form?”

She smiled as she handed me the sheet of paper. “Go through that door.” She pointed to a brown steel door to her right.

“Thank you.” I looked at the sheet of paper. It had a pink dot in the center. Weird, but I wanted that job no matter how short the duration I would be working.

Walking through the doorway I stopped. I was looking at an endless hallway. It seemingly went into infinity. There weren’t any doors to either side. “Better be the best damn job in the whole world if I’m going to have to walk to the other end to fill out an application.”

“Maybe this is how they test the resolve of the applicant? Who in their right mind would walk down an endless hallway to fill out a job application? ME! That’s who.” Thinking of the money, I started walking.

There wasn’t any exposed lighting in the hallway. When I entered the lighting was white. As I walked it slowly changed to pink. The end was still nowhere in sight. I was beginning to doubt the sanity of this job search. No one knew where I was. It was on a whim that I walked into the building in the first place. If I collapsed or was kidnapped who would know?

No amount of money was worth my life. I pulled out my cell phone to tell Marla, my girlfriend, where I was. There was no signal. “Rats.”

The pink lights were getting brighter the longer I walked. There still wasn’t any end to the hallway. Not good. The pink lights were so bright I was having trouble seeing. I stopped, unable to see anything. I was blinded by the lights. I turned around to go back, but wasn’t sure if I had turned half a turn to head back, or was going to walk into the wall?

“How much experience do you have?” Was coming from a woman’s voice. A woman that I couldn’t see.

“I’ve been setting up labs for over sixteen years. I’m darn good at what I do.” I tried shielding my eyes to see whom I was talking to.

“Shit! You’re green ain’t you? Have you any experience in security?” She was slowly coming into focus.

I shook my head and something felt like it was tapping me on the back. Turning to look I still couldn’t make out anything besides the glare around me. “I haven’t had any experience in security. I manage logistics and personnel.”

“Well ain’t that something? I guess it’s better than nothing. You can round up supplies and talk to people. Why do they send me all the inexperienced ones? Okay, let’s go see what the seer has to say.”

I was finally able to make out the blurry outline of a woman. “I can’t see.”

“Where did you sign up at?” She stopped.

My sight was getting better by the second. I could tell she had nice curves. “There wasn’t any name on the building. It was on Kelmer Ave.”

“Oh double shit! They sent me an Earthling. Just so swell I can’t begin to contain my joyous emotions. Hells bells! Well, you’re here and you’re the replacement, so let’s get one thing straight. I hate Earthlings. You don’t take orders, you can’t get anything right, you constantly complain, and you want to go home a minute before you arrive. To top it off you don’t speak Pars, Kuk, Niddorun, Saforlu, or any of the other universal languages. So I’m going to be stuck explaining things to you in crappy Earth language. Crap and double crap!” She turned and was walking away.

I was thinking I had been dropped into the looney bin instead of a security job. What ever the lady was on I didn’t think I wanted any of it. Pot must have been laced with PCP or loco weed. My vision was getting better. Whoever she was, she was armed to the teeth. What she had wasn’t with the kind of security tools I thought of when security was mentioned. She had a side pouch among other things. It wasn’t packed with hand tools to install security lights and alarms. There was some kind of sword on her left side. An obvious dagger was on her right hip, along with some kind of really strange pistol. She had another kind of rifle thing slung over her shoulder. She was wearing some kind of blue mini skirt and blue high heel boots.

I started to follow her and stopped short after the first two steps. Everything felt... wrong. Either I was hallucinating, or I had lost my mind. I had breasts!? They were damn big from my perspective. They were cradled in some kind of golden bra made from metallic looking armor. I couldn’t see straight down, so I leaned over to the side and looked. I was wearing glistening, golden armor. Or it looked like armor, but it wasn’t. It was softer than satin against the skin. The golden high heeled boots were of like material. I didn’t panic because I knew I was hallucinating. This couldn’t be real. Someone was fucking with my mind is all. Probably set me up in that hallway of lights. Some kind of mind control.

I had a strong suspicion of what I would find when I reached my left hand up behind my head and pulled around long gossamer strands of hair. It was like the finest spider silk and hung down past my butt. Make that an ample butt. And ample hips... and damn tiny little waist. Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. I couldn’t wait to find a mirror and see what kind of image they planted in my mind for a face. This had to be part of the job application screening. Well, we will play all the games they want. I’ll just go along with their little game.

The woman was waiting in some kind of vehicle that didn’t have any wheels. I climbed in beside her. “You guys are good. This feels so damn real. Where we going?”

She looked at me in disgust. “Damn Earthlings. Stupid creatures.”

She punched it and I was slammed back into the seat. We were instantly about a thousand feet up in the air. I looked back and could see a bunch of dome shaped buildings where we had left. There were no doors or windows on the craft so I started to stick my hand outside. I rapped my fingers up against an invisible barrier of some kind. “That hurt.”

She dropped it back down to a couple feet off the ground and was speeding along about a hundred or two hundred miles per hour at my best guess. Then just as quickly I felt I was slammed into a wall. It had to be that invisible shield in front of me holding me in my seat when she braked to a stop.

“Come!” She was out headed to a silver, dome shaped building.

I didn’t expect to be able to move as the invisible shield held me in my seat, but there was no resistance when I slid out. “I gotta get my hands on their mind program.” I followed her into the building.

She was standing before another woman. My driver bowed to her. “Kasu, I bring you an Earthling. I needed a warrior and this is what they sent.” She motioned back toward me.

The one she called Kasu nodded and then walked over to stand in front of me. She didn’t say anything, but was taking in every inch of my body.

There was no longer anything wrong with my sight and I liked what I was looking at. Kasu was a tall girl, standing about seven plus feet or so. She had more than her fair share of abundant curves in abundant proportions. On her breasts were coiled gold spirals, her liquid red skirt was long enough that the hem dragged on the floor. She had a gold spiral tattoo on her right arm from the shoulder to her palm. On her left the tattoo started between her fingers, circled around the back of her neck, up her right cheek and ended under her right eye. She had golden circle tattoos on her stomach. When she turned around to the first woman I could see those tattoos were also on her back. They ran from her shoulder to disappear under the waist of her skirt. I figured she was probably covered on her legs too, but it was up to the programmer who designed her in this mind game I was in at the moment.

She turned back toward me and then brought up her right hand and slapped the shit out of my left face. I stumbled to my right to keep my balance. The side of my face was on fire and burning. “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?”

She took a couple steps in my direction. I could see her hand coming for a second time. I pulled back. Her finger tips brushed my nose. She didn’t hesitate as she was bringing up her left hand.

“ENOUGH BITCH!” I blocked with my right hand and slugged her with my left at the same time.

Funny, I thought I hit her but obviously I didn’t. She wasn’t moved. She came at me with her right hand. I blocked with my left and put everything I could into slugging her with my right. Nothing happened. It was as if I was fighting with myself.

Her golden eyes were dancing as she stepped back and nodded. “You will do.”

Looking over at the first woman she gave a slight bow. “Sala, do not be so judgmental. This child may surprise you as she adapts. You give short shift to Earthlings from your experience with many. After she has two moons training, her skills may be clearer. There is much hidden inside her that will come out with time. Training with kindness and respect, not anger and pride will be rewarded. Do not bring up her hate and anger until she understands and can control.”

She turned back to study me again. “What do you call yourself child?”

I was getting pissed at being called a child but held it in. “I don’t call myself anything. I’m a technical laboratory engineer.”

A glimmer of a smile touched her face as she nodded. “That would be your job in your world no doubt. No, I mean by what name are you called?”

“Name?” I had forgot I never filled out a job application. Obviously they wouldn’t know my name. “Neal Goodwin.”

Closing her eyes for a second her smile got even bigger. “I am familiar with your world. I was there for many of your Earth years. That was many eons ago. The name no longer fits, as there have been changes. It is not uncommon for such to happen in dimensional shift portals. Many are not what they wear in outward appearance. The portal exposes the true life force deep within, not the subterfuge on the surface.”

She walked a circle around me a couple times as she studied me. “Your name comes to me. The one you cry out to all who would hear. LaSaDa is your name. It means golden girl with golden heart and sword. In all our worlds there is not another so named, as it is forbidden.”

I heard a gasp from the other woman called Sala. “Kasu, are you sure? If she isn’t, then you condemned her.”

Kasu took a deep breath, put her hands together in form of a temple in front of her face, and closed her eyes. I wondered if she died standing there? She didn’t move, look like she was breathing or anything else necessary for life.

Her golden eyes were true depths of golden light when she opened them after long minutes of silence. I could see all the way into infinity in those eyes of hers.

“It is as I said. Teach her well Sala. Use all the skills you have learned over the millennia. She will need everything both of us can teach to survive and make the prophecies true.”

She turned her attention on me again. “Your first training begins now.”

I took a step back waiting in anticipation for her to try and slap me again.

That hint of a smile touched her lips. “No, you will learn in time to judge the mental from the physical, but this is not that lesson. You are to learn your true self so the other lessons will be understood more quickly.”

She spread her arms out and tilted her head back. “PUSESOSE ME” A bluish haze swirled about her.

Okay, this was getting to be a little too much shit for me. Even if it was all in some screwed up mind control hypnosis game or whatever they had pulled in that light tunnel. I started backing up. If I could break their mind control I would walk out of the building while flipping the hot little secretary the bird.

Before I could put my thoughts into action the blue haze jumped from the lady called Kasu to me.

“Ooooh” I groaned as my mind exploded in brilliant flashes of multi colored lights. I saw millions of years of life forms of all kinds, including humans and humanoids that weren’t human. I saw savage wars where worlds were left in barren waste. I saw untold trillions of deaths of all kinds. I saw life forfeited in savage fury and gallant bravery. There was pure evil and good spread across galaxies in personal battles and huge wars. I saw life at its best and its worst.

The one truth that shook me more than all the carnage I saw was, I was not in some mind control game. It wasn’t an endless hallway I stepped into. I walked into another life and a dimensional portal. I left my world and my manhood behind. I was a girl... to be more exact, a woman, in a dimension humans didn’t even know existed. I wanted to scream it wasn’t so, but for some strange reason, I knew it was the truth and it felt right. More than that I felt like I had been released from a bondage. I felt free and more alive than I had ever been. I started crying it felt so good. I was me!

Tears were sliding down my cheeks when I opened my eyes. “Yes, I am free.”

Kasu and Sala were looking solemn. “What is your name?” Kasu asked.

“I am LaSaDa.” Came from my mouth without even thinking.

Kasu frowned. “You have many enemies. They would know you are most vulnerable at this stage. No one must know your name until we have taught you all we can. The majority of your training will come from within you.”

Kasu turned to Sala. “We must guard her with our lives until she is stronger. Her name must not be spoken again until she is ready. Use an appropriate Earth name to address her until then. You aren’t the only one who thinks Earthlings are weak and mindless. An Earth name would help disguise her.”

She focused on me again. “What name shall we call you? Your true name can no longer be said, as it will draw too many assassins.”

I ran a couple dozen former girlfriends names through my mind. Marla was my current girlfriend. Make that past tense girlfriend. I gave it some serious thought. No... I kinda liked Melody, even though I never dated a Melody. “I shall be called Melody until such time it is no longer necessary.”

That evening at Sala’s, before bed, I undressed although I’m not sure removing what I was wearing could be called getting undressed. The weird part was the outfit slowly evaporated or disappeared after I removed it. I kept hoping that, once I went to sleep, I would wake up in my bed and this day would all be a dream. I didn’t think I would ever get to sleep. It was as if this dream was fighting me to keep me awake and trapped in the dream, but eventually sleep did come. Sure as one sleeps they must awake if they are still alive. I was still the same woman I was when I went to sleep. Nothing had changed except I was naked, if one could call what I was wearing before, clothed.

That morning Sala acted like it was a normal situation when I told her what happened. “That also sometimes happens when one passes through the dimensional portal. You knew who you truly were coming through the portal. Your clothes were a part of the physical manifestation, or a creation of your mind. You have refused that knowledge as a reality. What you no longer physically touch melts away like your faith in yourself. Kasu can explain it to you better than I.”

She rounded up more clothes for me. Again, I wasn’t sure clothes was the right word. I was wearing a golden coil bra, golden miniskirt, and calf length, golden stiletto boots. If I had known what she had planned for the day I would have opted for medieval body armor.

Sala was beating the tar out of me with what could only be considered a broom handle. I had one hell of a time, trying to block her whacks and get in some myself. I wasn’t having much luck in my pathetic attempts. I hadn’t touched her and I wasn’t good at blocking.

She brought her stick around to smack me in the side. I blocked. She brought her stick up and hit me on the side of the head and my ear.

I put my left hand up and felt my ear. I came away with blood in the palm of my hand. “SHIT BITCH! You trying to teach me or kill me?”

An evil grin spread across her face as her eyes closed to slits. “I hate humans.”

I shook my head. She looked as human as all the rest of us. Except for the fact Sala didn’t have an ounce of fat on her any place. Her body had more serious curves than any woman I had ever seen.

“Okay, I hate whatever you are. You fucking freak.” I brought my stick up intending to return the punishment with as much force as I could muster. I fully intended to knock her damn head clean off her shoulders.

She deflected my strike by angling her stick. My swing went up over her head. She poked me in my stomach with her stick. It knocked the air out of me and shoved me down on my butt.

Sala put the end of her stick on the floor and leaned on it. “Anger is good in some instances but must be controlled and focused. You use it like a… billboard. You advertise your anger and your moves before you strike. It doesn’t take a telepath to read your thoughts. The least experienced warrior would strike you down in seconds because you are broadcasting your emotions.”

I decided to not get up so she could beat up on me some more. I leaned back as I looked up at the sky above us. “Give me a gun and I’ll show you who’s telegraphing their actions. What’s with these stupid sticks? Only a fool would bring a knife to a gunfight.”

Sala took a deep breath and held it before letting it out. “Only an untrained fool would chose a gun over a saber. Soon you will hold one of the most deadly of all weapons in your hand. These sticks are only the beginning. First you must learn control. You must learn to use your enemies mind to control your actions. They act, you react. Not one, but dozens all at the same time will be trying to kill you. It must be instinctive intuition within you. Instead of confusion you find harmony and peace as you defend and kill.”

“Harmony and peace as I kill?” I choked on that one. “Peace isn’t exactly the thought that comes to mind when trying to kill someone. Sounds damn morbid to me. More the mind of a lunatic serial killer or someone like minded.” I felt my ear again. The blood was drying and only a little came off on my hand.

“Rise and we will begin again. You have much to learn. I’m afraid you don’t have that much time to learn what you must. Stop watching me with your eyes and watch me with your emotions, your feelings, your inner self, that which is your true self. Bring her forth. She will guide you and guard you, for she is you. She does not want to see me hurt you.” Sala whacked me on the leg before she backed up.

“Damn bitch, that hurt!” I pushed up to my feet, fully intending to return the favor. I was swinging at her ankles before I stood up.

She easily jumped my stick and planted her foot on it, pinning it to the floor, while at the same time, she swung at my head.

I had no defense so I lunged back. I had my left hand up and caught her blow in the palm of my hand. It stung, but only slightly. I wrapped my hand around her stick, twisted and yanked it out of her hand. I had her stick as she was reaching down to pick up mine off the floor. I whacked her on the back.

“Ohhh!” She went to her knees.

I put the end of the stick in the middle of her back and pushed. She was face down on the floor. “Yield or you shall die,” came out of my mouth from only God knows where.

“I shall never yield. My loyalty lies with the one who is true. Kill me now and she will avenge my death.”

Backing up I couldn’t help but grin, thinking at last I had bested her. “Who will avenge your death?”

Sala rolled over and sat up looking more serious than I had ever seen her. “You will avenge my death and all the others who died as prisoners and slaves.”

“Me…?” I choked on that one. “Yeah, dream on. I have a thousand bruises and you have one. Tell me again who doesn’t have all their oars in the water here.”

Time wore on, and the lessons from Sala and Kasu seemed to never end. There were no days and nights here. Where ever here was. Sala kept beating the holy tar out of me and Kasu would teach me about the things our normal senses didn’t know. Kasu’s lessons delved into the realms of what I considered spiritual and magical.

The two women had duties or jobs other than teaching me. There were times Sala would leave for days, if there were days that is. She would leave me with Kasu. Then there were times Kasu would leave. I missed her most of all because when I was with Kasu I escaped Sala’s constant physical training.

“Think in terms of understanding what you don’t know, instead of thinking it isn’t possible.” Kasu formed a blue ball the size of a basketball in her right hand.

I figured it was a magician’s trick and I tried to poke my finger through it. It was solid, or my mind thought of it as solid. “That’s pretty neat.”

“It was created by thought. You can destroy it only with thought or by killing me. I prefer you use thought instead of thinking of my demise. Now look, not at it, but into it and understand it is a creation of mind.”

Staring at it I finally started to see through it instead of thinking it was a solid blue ball. I poked my finger at it. It was still solid.

“Doubt stops you. Clear your mind.” Kasu encouraged me.

I stared and stared and nothing was happening. It wasn’t any more transparent than when she first held it out. “Horse feathers!” I spat in disgust.

The ball shattered into millions of tiny fragments. Kasu looked worried. “You did that in anger not with controlled emotions. Anger is a frightful weapon, as it usually is thrown out like a hand full of needles. If one uses anger it must be controlled, the same as all other emotions. One needle at the target, not a handful.”

Something wasn’t right. I stopped listening or paying attention to Kasu. “Strangers coming.”

Kasu nodded. “Very good. I did not expect this from you so soon. You are developing faster than I would have thought. Let’s keep this between us. Not all those that come are trusted. Even if they were trusted, allies can be made to talk.”

Four men walked into the dome where Kasu and I had been training. Only one looked human. The other three were aliens of different species. They were all well armed. The human looking one stood back and studied me as the others stepped up. He may have looked human but like Sala I sensed he wasn’t. He wasn’t her species either. I was wondering how many species there were that looked human on the surface?

“Ofasa mste omdi ruleskah Kasu.” The lizard looking creature bowed to Kasu.

“Speak in this language Osk. It is rude to speak in front of others who do not understand Puseje.”

He turned around to glare at me. “Kasu, where do you find these scum and why do you put up with them? It’s human, isn’t it? Can’t depend on or trust humans. They flee at the first sign of trouble and will tell all they know at even the thought of torture.”

He spat on my foot. It was some kind of green goo. “Human weaklings don’t even make good slaves.”

My blood was boiling. I had no idea what it would take to hurt him, but I was running a thousand thoughts through my mind. He had twice the body mass I did and a head taller than me. If I could break his kneecap that would bring him down to my size.

Kasu slightly shook her head 'no' as she took a quick glance in my direction. Although the lizard didn’t see it the humanoid caught it. His interest renewed as he switched staring between Kasu and me.

“I sense hate. The human is capable of hate. They are poor pathetic creatures, Kasu, I will take this one. She will learn how to serve her master and be an obedient slave.” He reached in a pouch before a clawed hand came toward my throat holding a metal collar.

There was an unmistakeable low hum in the air. I didn’t think this could be good. Tension filled the air as everyone went to high emotional alert. I was back peddling, wondering what I could possibly do to defend myself.

“Osk, stop!” Kasu demanded, as a red flame appeared in her right hand.

I backed into one of the aliens behind me. He was wrapping his arms around me to hold me as Osk opened up the collar to slip around my neck. Kasu must have thrown her fire. It spread all over me. Why did she kill me and not the ones who were going to enslave me?

Only... I wasn’t burning up. The alien who had wrapped his arms around me shrieked in pain as he flung himself away from me. Osk dropped the collar as it turned to ashes. All the skin on his hand was seared off.

He looked at it in stunned silence before turning to look at Kasu. “I shall not forget this.” He headed for the door with the others following. The humanoid took a long last puzzled look before he turned and followed.

It was as if I was standing there beside them as I watched them get in their craft and fly off, but I was looking at Kasu. “Thank you. I was sure I didn’t want to be a slave to that creature.”

Her eyes were wide open in shock, the fire still in her hand. She looked down at her hand and the fire disappeared. “It wasn’t me. I’ve been the worst teacher you could have. I’ve been trying to explain, rather than letting you experience the lessons.”

Was she talking about the fire she poured on me? “You mean the humanoid can do that too? He protected me? I thought it was you.”

She shook her head. “Not him, nor me. He’s not capable and I had yet to spread my fire so you didn’t get hurt too.”

That only left one other person there. “The alien that looked like the lizard’s forth cousin? Why would he stop them? I had the strong feeling they were allies.”

The shocked look finally drained from her face. “Not us, you.”

“Me? I couldn’t do that if my life depended on it! I don’t know how. You haven’t taught me that lesson yet.” I wondered what she was trying to pull?

“You picked it up from me when I put the fire in my hand. My fire would burn you just as easily as everyone else. Your fire isn’t going to hurt you. It is one of the gifts, or oddities, of creating mental, physical objects. Do it again.”

Hard as I tried I couldn’t find the emotional or mental switch to make something like fire appear. Kasu waited patiently as I struggled every which way I knew how. I was beginning to think my teacher had lied and she created the fire to protect me.

Kasu held out her hand. “Watch. It is more than thinking. It must be real in your own mind, not just a thought. You can’t think you want a fire. You must be able to know without doubt that there is fire.” A fire appeared in her hand.

I tried and tried some more to visualize a fire in my hand. I thought it, wished it, visualized it and nothing happened.

“I’m trying to teach again instead of showing you. Relax, let your mind flow into and with my mind. Feel what I am feeling. See what I am seeing.” She held out her hand.

Her hand was my hand. I not only thought I was holding fire in my hand I really was holding fire in my hand. I pulled my mind back and looked. I had fire in my hand. It scared the bejeebers out of me. I dropped it. It disappeared before it hit the floor.

Kasu laughed as her golden eyes sparkled. “Now do it again. You have the feel and the knowledge to do it. No doubt this time. You know you have done it twice. Doubt will stop you. Faith will carry you through to your goal. Again.”

Lessons were over for the moment. My thoughts turned to the four men who tried to claim me as a slave. “Kasu, why did that man think he could take me as his slave?”

She held out her right arm with the tattoos. “In this dimension some men think women are property and have no rights. The marks on my body are a sign I am not a normal. They appeared when I came of age, not physically but mentally. Because I can turn thought into physical things such as fire, I am considered too valuable to be a slave or someone’s property. In reality most are afraid of me. I have many enemies and many friends. In the war council they think of me as somewhat of a prophet. I do not always tell them the truth so they won’t rely on me to be their planner for their next battle. Good men aren’t always good when they acquire power. Power usually corrupts their soul, even when they started out as good men.”

“Information spreads, even when no one shares any. I would know if Sala had spoken about you to others. She hasn’t. The only way Osk could have known an Earthling had arrived would be if someone in your world shared information with others who had returned. Because you weren’t placed in one of the military units, it was assumed you were too stupid to be anything other than a slave. Neither Sala nor myself own slaves. When Osk learned about you he saw a chance to claim another slave for virtually no cost.”

“I’ll never be anyone’s slave. I’ll die first.” I hissed, as the thought of being someone’s pet ran through my mind.

Kasu shook her head. “Never say never. The future is always fluid, as men and events are changed from a certainty to a non starter. Think of a boy who is destined to be president and is run down by a transporter. The future that should have been is changed forever.”

I gave that one some thought. “But if he was run down then that was the future not his role as the president.”

She laughed. “If he doesn’t go out that day and isn’t run over. Now he becomes the president. Then what of the alternate future where he was killed? Which one was supposed to be the true future?”

The more I thought about it the more illogical it became. “You can’t swap one future for another because something does or doesn’t happen.”

Kasu was walking to the door. “You will learn in time. Lessons are over for now.”

Time had no meaning, as there were no days, no nights, no time clocks where I was at. I don’t guess it made any difference. I think it was months after I first arrived when Sala walked into the dome with rapiers in her hands.

She handed one to me. “Try and not kill me, human.” Lately the tables had turned and I had been beating the tar out her with the sticks, while she was unable to land a blow on me.

I shrugged as I hefted the weapon. “Then stop talking down to me like I was a low life. Besides, you look like a human too. You insult me, you insult yourself. You act like the queen in the ivory tower who isn’t part of the DNA of the rest of the peasants.”

I touched the edge of the sword and cut my finger. “This thing is sharp. Are we really going to swing at one another?”

Sala held hers up and swung it down to her side with a swish. “That is the idea unless you think you can take out your opponent with a stick.”

“I think I could do that.” I swished mine out to the side.

She was swinging at my throat. That was where my heart was when I realized what she was doing. I underhanded my swing and came up to block her blade. “Are you insane!”

She rolled her blade over the top of mine and would have sliced my arm off if I hadn’t rolled my blade with hers and pushed her sword out to the side. I was ready to scream for help. By this time I was positive Sala was trying to kill me.

Sala leaned down to her left and back swung to cut my legs out from under me. My blade was down by the side of my leg. Her blade bounced off. I knew she was going to kill me if I didn’t kill her first. I followed her blade out with mine and hefted her blade up. She failed to anticipate me, giving her blade an extra push as she straightened up. Her blade was up in the air when the point of my blade touched her throat.

“Drop it or you’re dead.” I was ready to ram my blade through her neck to save my own.

She did what I least expected. She turned lose of her sword and let it fall behind her as she smiled. She reached up to the back side of my sword and pushed it away before putting her finger to her throat. She pulled her hand back and was looking at blood on her finger. “Kasu said you wouldn’t kill me. I trust her with my life. You were to be tested not for what Kasu knows about you, but to teach you to believe in yourself. You will be able to do what Kasu believes, only when you fully understand and trust your abilities without any doubt or hesitation.”

“That’s a dangerous way of finding out. I could have killed you. Looking at it the other way I wouldn’t have been too happy about it if you had killed me. That’s an awful lot of trust to put into someone without telling them the plan.” I took a long hard look at that sword I was holding. I didn’t like this part of the training.

Days, weeks, months, who knew what time was? Sala taught me how to drive a transporter. She no longer had to give me a ride from her side of the planet, or whatever we were living on, to Kasu for my mental training. I thought about taking off and seeing how big this planet was, or what was over the horizon. I didn’t. If I ran into someone like Osk I wasn’t sure I could handle him again.

From forty feet away Kasu threw fire at me. I blocked with my right hand. She threw a frozen globe at me. I moved to the side and pushed with my mind to keep her from curving it into me. It hit the wall and ice formed ten feet around the impact. She pulled a pistol off her hip and... I was ready before she pulled the trigger. An image of me was standing in front of me and took the phaser blast.

“You cheated.” She put the gun back on her hip before removing the holster and belt. She laid it down on a table.

“You said I could use any defense. Doesn’t mean I want to stop a phaser blast with my hand. What if I hadn’t shielded my hand and someone shot it? Wouldn’t look very good going around with no hand for the rest of my life.” I took a quick look to assure myself I still had one.

She formed a pink flower between her fingers. “Energy is energy, whether it comes from a weapon or mind thought. As you have learned to form and use that energy you still have doubts whether you can do so when it counts. You must rid yourself of all doubt or it will be used against you. They will destroy you.”

I reached out and touched her flower, putting green leaves on the stem and adding four long stem red roses. “I try, but as Sala says, I am but a lowly human. We lowly life forms always have doubt. It is bred into our DNA.”

Kasu waved her left hand over the flowers. They disappeared. “You must learn to retrain all your thoughts so there is no doubt in your actions. Then you will be able to understand all is the same. Light is not an absence of darkness, nor is darkness an absence of light.”

Kasu waved her hand. Total darkness came upon the room. “Do you see me?”

Trying as hard as I could my eyes still didn’t see anything. “No.”

“That is because you are trying to see me with your eyes not your mind. Everything is as it was. Nothing disappeared when light was removed. Now, let go of everything you were led to believe. See with your mind. Feel me and then see me.”

It was easy enough to sense she was there. Seeing was entirely something else. “I can feel you.”

Kasu stepped off to the side without making a sound.

I turned my head to follow her.

She shook her head. “You are still trying to use your physical senses to see me. Turn your back to me and feel me and see me.”

Doing as she suggested I could still feel her as she moved further away to my left. Slowly the room started glowing with a little light, but it wasn’t light. It was the energy presence everything gives off, whether it is living or non living.

Kasu picked up and swung one of those training sticks at my waist.

Instinctively I turned it to dust before it hit me.

She smiled. “You were not only feeling my presence, but watching me as well. We will continue for awhile without the light. You must learn to trust your mind and always check what you call your five senses. It is that sixth and seventh sense you need to learn to trust.

My time became marathon training with Kasu or Sala. I developed an acute concept of small pieces of time. Each mental and physical action and reaction developed and executed in less than a nano second. Taking longer than that earned me more bruises from Kasu or Sala.

“I want you to see some of those in the Alliance who are fighting the pirates.” Sala motioned to a small ship Kasu was already sitting in.

“Are we going to join the fighting?” I was curious about the trip, as I stepped into the ship.

“Not unless the pirates attack while we are there. I was told to report to a security meeting. All military brass in this quadrant not engaged or on maneuvers will be there. The Alliance is making battle plans to retake one of the shipping ports the pirates captured. Do not give any indication you are any more than a normal while we are there. It best you keep your true identity and your abilities secret. If the pirates found out who you are they would launch everything at us in order to kill you.” Sala followed me onto the ship.

Kasu handed me a small pencil eraser.

“What’s this?” I turned it over giving it a close examination. “Never mind.” I slipped it up into my left ear.

She nodded as a hint of a smile touched her face. “Very good Melody. You are learning to follow your instincts.”

Those weren’t the words Kasu said, but the tiny little translator changed it all to English.

“General” Several aliens, male and female, were standing to the side of the ship as Sala lowered the hatch. One of them saluted as she addressed her.

Sala saluted her. “Keep it informal Captain Ara. I’ve been receiving reports. The Lordeen Shipping Port was a strategic loss. Let’s see if we can get it back before the pirates can fortify it. Brief me on the way to the control headquarters.”

“As you wish General.” Her attention turned toward me. A disgusted look crossed her face. “human” She muttered.

Sala glanced in my direction and nodded in agreement. “Yes they are weak allies. We need all the able bodied soldiers we can find if we are to win this long miserable war.”

Ara rolled her eyes and false eyelids wiped across them to prove her species were superior in more ways than tough hide. “I’ll settle for one android over ten thousand humans."

WARRIOR PRINCESS
BY BARBIELEE CHAPTER TWO

As I stepped off the ship Kasu walked off behind me. “Captain Ara.” She acknowledged.

Ara gave a slight bow of her head. “Your Majesty. We are in dire need of your foresight at this time. Please join us in the Data Room to discuss battle plans.”

For a long time I had suspected my instructors were more than common people. I wasn’t surprised to learn I was right. Why had they spent so much time and effort in training me? Especially since I was obviously one of those disgusting, lowly humans everyone despised?

As the group headed off toward a dome I started to follow.

Ara held up her hand. “She’s not allowed. This is not for outsiders.” Came off her tongue like spit. She might as well have said 'slave' instead of outsider.

Sala pointed to a man standing at attention several hundred feet away by one of the hangers. “Tell the private you are to be given a tour around the facilities while we discuss battle plans. Inform him that is an order from me.”

Captain Ara stopped. “General Sala, is that wise? She hasn’t been cleared by a mind scan.”

“She has been cleared by me.” Kasu added to the conversation. “Even though we can’t fully trust them, she is harmless.”

There was that implied 'human' thing again. This was beginning to rub on my emotions and nerves. I headed off toward the private to get away from any more insults to my species. “Kiss my ass.” I thought to myself.

Kasu laughed. She had read my emotions and thoughts. Rats, I had forgotten to guard them.

“Behave... human. I’m not the only one who reads thoughts around here. This is a command headquarters. Dozens of telepaths are here. I’ve been guarding your mind. No, no one suspects right now, but close your mind to outside thoughts. You are a lowly human. Play the part they expect.” Came back to me.

Dozens of telepaths? I snapped the curtains shut around my emotions and my mind. Kasu had taught me how to mentally look without showing I was sampling everything and every thought around me. It took effort and I leaked like a seive in the beginning. Now it came as second nature when I learned to engage it.

The Private I had been sent to talk to was human. I had a sneaking suspicion Private was the rank for most humans. I smiled at him as I stopped in front. “I’m Melody, Sala said you were to give me a tour of the base.”

He swallowed. “Sala? General Sala said I was to give you a tour? I’ll have to clear this.” He touched a throat mike. “Security HQ, Private Williams reporting.”

He hesitated. “Yes Sir… Yes Sir… Yes Sir... General Sala's orders Sir? Yes Sir.”

He looked at me kinda funny. “What would you like to see?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not up on military things. Why don’t you show me the most interesting things? What’s in the hanger you’re guarding?”

He gulped. “Our latest fighters. They are faster than any pirate ships and more maneuverable. They carry enough fire power to...” He gulped. “I’m not supposed to say. I've said too much already.”

“Good. Then let’s go look them over.” I was headed for door.

“You can’t.” He held up his rifle.

I looked crestfallen. “You mean GENERAL Sala’s orders don’t carry any authority here?”

The poor kid had the worst look of confusion I had ever seen.

“Yes, I mean no... uh,I mean.” He turned and opened the door. “They are going to shoot me over this.”

All the technicians turned to stare as I walked into the building. Some were the same species as Sala and looked human. I climbed the ladder and dropped into the seat of one of the fighters. Williams and several of the technicians were protesting. Everything felt like I had been sitting there all my life. Kasu said to have no doubts. I had none. I could start that craft and engage the enemy. It took almost all my willpower to NOT start bringing it to life and fly it out for maneuvers.

Williams looked relieved when we left the hanger. He was leading me toward one of the other huge domes. “You can get a feel for our weapons at the gun range.”

Inside the dome I got another dose of emotional disgust from everyone there. Williams checked out a rifle and led me to a shielded booth. He pointed toward hologram targets. I was guessing they were supposed to be two or three miles away. They weren’t really. They were on a grid only ten feet in front of us. They were an illusion.

Williams pushed some buttons on a console and the figures were less than twenty feet away. “If you hit one then it is considered a hit. They may be kill shots or wound shots. The fire control co-ordinator figures it all out.” He took two shots. The monitor registered kills for both.

Okay, a stationary alien life target, eight feet tall, three feet wide, twenty feet away. How can I possibly miss? Williams handed me the rifle.

“Where’s the safety?” I pulled the trigger after fat fingering the safety. Phaser fire splattered across the ceiling.

“HEY! The safety is by your second finger!” Williams ducked as he backed out of the booth.

I was seriously looking the gun over for a safety. “Where?” I shot the floor of the booth.

“This isn’t a good idea! Give it back.” He was trying to decide if he should reach for the rifle or run for cover.

“I’ve got it now.” Two shots and the high speed targets of the aliens on the next range disappeared. “Oops!”

“Take your finger off the trigger!” He was crowding into the booth beside mine.

“No, that’s okay, I got it now, I can handle this.” I sprayed the ceiling of the target range and took out the hologram generator. My range went dark.

“What happened? They switch on me?” I sprayed the ceiling of the range on my right. His hologram generator went dark. “Are they turning out the lights?”

“Stupid human.” The alien growled.

“STOP BEFORE YOU KILL SOMEONE!” Williams was shouting at me.

“What? They are going to kill someone?” I turned around in the booth and hosed down the opposite wall as the aliens behind the supply locker dove for cover. I was ashamed. “Sorry.”

The alien to my left grabbed the rifle out of my hands. “Humans have no reason to own a weapon. You’re dangerous.”

I was crest fallen as I looked dejectedly at the floor. “I said I was sorry.”

The aliens behind the booth at the supply locker were starting to stand back up and glare at me.

“General Sala gave her clearance.” Williams was urging me for the door.

“Stupid humans. Crazy bitch” Followed us out the door.

“I said I was sorry.” I felt better all over and had a terrible time trying to keep the smirk off my face.

After the fiasco at the target range I wasn’t allowed near anything that could be considered a weapon. At the mess hall I was given a wide berth by all. Even the nine humans there avoided me like the plague. They weren’t sure what I was. I couldn’t blame them. By Earth standards someone dressed like me and as tall as me wasn’t human and they weren’t telepaths nor empaths.

After lunch Williams guided me out to what I would call the motor pool. He motioned to one of the smaller two seater jobs. “We use these for personal transportation.”

“Great! I’m tired of walking.” I climbed into the drivers seat.

“Hey wait you can’t…” He was shaking his head.

The craft started moving forward. “Ooops”

Williams jumped into the passenger seat. “Take your hands off the controls.”

“What?” The craft leapt forward at high velocity.

“STOP! TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE CONTROLS!” He was screaming at me.

We were headed toward one of the large battleships.

I could hear the klaxons going off calling everyone to battle stations as we rocketed toward the ship.

“HELP!” I screamed in terror. Just before impact the craft flew up and over the top of the battleship. Luckily the crew on the battleship didn’t have time to get to battle stations and lock in on us.

Once clear of the battleship we pointed straight back down at the ground. “HELP!” I screamed.

The little craft flattened out just before we nosed straight into the ground. It belly smacked the ground as we rocketed forward the hangers. “HELP!”

“TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE CONTROLS BEFORE YOU KILL US!” Williams was screaming at the top of his lungs.

We were headed straight for the hanger Williams had been guarding. Just before we flew into the hanger we turned only the craft didn’t turn. We skidded sideways through the hanger doors and into the hanger. “HELP!” I screamed.

By now the inertia drive had regained control and we stopped sliding sideways. We rocketed toward one of those super special fighters. Williams knew we were going to die this time. Just before impact the little craft belly smacked the surface and we flew under the fighter, the top of our craft had less than a millimeter clearance under the ship. On the other side we pulled straight up toward the ceiling of the dome. And... kept going over until we pulled a complete loop headed straight back down toward the floor. We had cheated death too many times. We were going to impact the floor. The little craft groaned in protest as we did a half barrel roll and flattened out just before impact. The ship slammed into the floor. The craft stopped as smoke poured from the drive modules and inertia compensator module. It was finished.

By this time the whole base had gone to high alert with lights, Klaxons, and sirens going off all over the base as battle stations were manned and security doors slammed shut.

“WE’RE ALIVE!” I screamed as I jumped out of the craft and ran for the doors before any of the other guards decided to disobey General Sala’s orders and shoot me. I barely made it outside as the hanger doors slammed shut behind me.

Williams was left behind inside. He wasn’t the only security guard on this base. I was met by a dozen armed men who looked like they wanted to shoot me.

“SAVE ME!” I screamed as I ran to the one in front and wrapped my arms around his leathery skin.

He looked pissed as he shoved me back. “Come with us... human.”

The others crowded in around me to make sure I didn’t escape. I was escorted to a small silver room inside one of the domes. I had no doubt it was a prisoner’s interrogation room. Four guards stayed inside the room with me. All looking very serious and very pissed. Kasu told me to have no doubt. I had none, as I was positive they would have joyfully shot me if allowed.

An hour or two later the door opened. I was escorted back to our ship by a dozen guards. Kasu and Sala were waiting. Both looked sternly at me as I was marched up to stand in front of them.

Sala shook her head. “We told them you were harmless. Captain Ara my apologies for putting your base in such an uproar. I promise it won’t ever happen again.”

Captain Ara glared at me. I was positive she would have slapped me in chains if it hadn’t been for Sala. “Not that much damage done General. I’m sure we can get everything put back in order in a few days. In time to launch our attack to retake the Lordeen Shipping Port.”

We were headed home when Sala turned her attention in my direction. “You sure know how to disrupt a security meeting. Everything stopped while we tried to figure out what the threat was. You panicked the whole damn base.”

I bowed my head and looked ashamed. “I’m sorry.”

Kasu laughed. “No you’re not. I’ve been watching when you play with Sala’s transporter. There is not another person who can put a transporter in a side skid. The guidance system won’t allow it. What you did was with faith in yourself, knowledge of your surroundings, and no doubt, but you did it to antagonize everyone who thinks humans are lower life forms. I’m still trying to decide if your motivation was for revenge?”

That one stung after all Sala and Kasu had tried to teach me. This time I really was sorry. “I wasn’t thinking along those lines. I’m sorry.”

Sala got serious. “Don’t be. You’re learning. It was an excellent training exercise, although I’m positive Captain Ara wouldn’t agree.”

I turned my attention to Sala. “I want to go with you when you retake the Lordeen Shipping Port.”

Kasu and Sala both looked shocked. Kasu shook her head. “You’re not ready.”

“Yes I am. Sala can whack me with a stick until time ends and I will never be ready in your minds. You think I’m some sort of person who is supposed to help win this war. If you don’t let me try then I’m no better than a hologram. I’m there with no substance.”

Sala looked out across the planets scattered across deep space in front of our ship. “In a battleship…”

“NO! One of the fighters I saw in the hanger. I was born to fly that ship. I know more about it than those who built it.”

Sala laughed nervously. “A fighter? Many moons of training they require. The pilots are the elite of our pilots, hand picked. Very few finish their training.”

“I can do it.” I wanted... I belonged in one of those fighters.

She curled up her fist and looked at it. “Never happen. Even a general can pull only so much weight.”

Kasu closed her eyes and sat silent for a minute. “It is time to turn her loose. We can only teach her what we know. We have done our jobs. The future is fluid. I find it darker if she does not go now.”

“But... how will we get her into a fighter?” Sala opened her fist and stared at her hand.

Two days later I was on the battleship I had almost run the transporter into, albeit I had two armed security guards standing beside me watching me closely. Sala had mortgaged her career to get me on that ship.

As the powerful engines engaged, liftoff was smooth as silk. In deep space two more ships joined up as we headed toward the Lordeen Shipping Port. It was when we were parked a few planets away and forming up a battle line Sala turned to my guards. “Take her to my quarters and lock her up.”

One of the guards pushed me in the back. “You’re not allowed on the bridge any longer... human.”

They were escorting me down the corridor when the guard in front spat. “I don’t know why General Sala allowed her to come along. She’s not even a soldier.”

They marched me into Sala’s assigned quarters. They were turning to leave the room when I mind smacked them. It was a simple thought implanted in their minds that they had been drugged. They both dropped to the floor like they had been bludgeoned. I pulled out the pilot’s uniform in Sala’s locker and slipped it on. I settled the helmet over my head and pulled down the radiation shield. My long hair wasn’t going to fit up inside that helmet. The helmet was formed to let my braided hair hang out and over my right shoulder. My helmet would translate my English to Puseje. I was learning but I wasn’t fluid in Puseje yet. I strapped on the phaser and the flight emergency pack on my right hip. I stepped out of the cabin headed toward the flight deck.

The few crew that was still moving through the corridors saluted me. I snapped a salute back. When I walked up to the front fighter the crew was still preflighting it.

“Commander?” One of the crew turned in my direction.

“Change in orders. Lieutenant Muwick is sick. I’m the replacement pilot.” I walked under the fighter, dragging my fingers along her fuselage. This ship and I were brought together for this exact purpose.

“Flight deck, control.” The guy touched his throat mike. “I have a Commander…?” He looked at my name tag. “Commander Huma said she was a replacement for Lieutenant Muwick. I received no orders or conformation. Please advise.”

He waited for almost a minute. “That’s an affirmative. She’s cleared? Input that into the launch status.”

Sala was watching the monitor from her control seat as the switch in pilots was listed. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. “Prove us right, LaSaDa.”

Sala touched her control panel. “All ships, engage.”

The pirates at the Lordeen Shipping Port weren’t taken by surprise. They could pick us up sitting out there before we ever started in. The only thing they weren’t able to do was call in reinforcements before the battle started. Any real support was light years away. Even with their ability to jump space it still took one thing they didn’t have, time.

“Launch fighters.” Came in over my helmet. I was sitting inside the fighter. My wingman and I were the first ones launched from the battleship.

I did a wing over leaving my wingman wondering where I went. I flew up over the top of the battleship and right down in front of the control bridge with nothing but a few millimeters between me and the screen in front of those in the control room. Everyone except Sala instinctively ducked as a fighter filled the whole damn screen in front of their faces.

“SHIT! Copy the number of the fighter. I want that pilot’s ass.” Sala watched as the fighter disappeared to a tiny nothing in the distance. Then she smiled.

I was headed straight toward a destroyer with a dozen fighters hovering around it. I hosed it down as I did a left hand roll and slip. Fire control computers were good. They couldn’t calculate what they had never been instructed to follow. The ship was returning fire. It was a nano second too slow and only hosing down space under the belly of my fighter. The slip was throwing them off. The fighters broke off to come out and greet me.

“No wingman. Where’s the rest of them? One is all I see on my scope. Wait, there are more closing in. Take this one out now before he gets help.” Came in over my helmet.

They said this ship was faster and more maneuverable than any of the pirates crafts. It was time to find out. I did a power nose over at full throttle. The little inertia compensator groaned to keep me strapped in my seat. Full back stick and I was looking at the bellies of the fighters that had come out to give me a welcome. I laced three of them with lethal fire before they could react. The others were turning to maneuver into position.

I was now behind them and between them and the destroyer. I poured everything the fighter had into the bridge. They were shielded. Even shields have a power thresh hold where they no longer can accept any more. I closed in too fast for their big guns to compute me into their targeting grids. The fighter shook as I unleashed all the missiles I was carrying. I flew by that control bridge scraping paint as the missiles impacted behind me. A huge explosion erupted behind me. The destroyer was still intact. Their command room was gone. It would take them time to move and set up personnel in their reserve command room located deeper in the belly of the ship. That few seconds was all Sala needed to turn her battleship’s firepower on the destroyer. She fried that ship.

“We lost our ship. You can wait around here to see what happens. I’m leaving. Fighting with a battleship isn’t my thing.” “I’m behind you.” The pirates turned and fled into deep space with our fighters following.

Sala could sit out in space and duke it out with the cannons defending Lordeen Shipping Port. Eventually she would win with her superior firepower. It also meant her ship would take a pounding before it was finished.

I flew past the horizon, dropped down to ground level and reversed course. Sala was already trading blasts from the ground cannons. The buildings and transporters shook as I flashed past them hurling toward the power grid network. The defense cannons were shielded, the power generator stations were shielded. The grid network was so spread out they never thought it would be necessary to shield it. I was lacing the distribution lines with my phasers as I raced across the planet. One by one lights started going out as the rerouting circuits no longer kept up with the failing grid. I flashed by so close under a public transporter, the shockwave caused it to roll over and over. “Sorry.”

The grid closed down as the broken system collapsed and then fed off it self. The defenses on the planet were defenseless. “Alliance we surrender. Cease fire. Cease fire.” Came in on my helmet.

I pulled up and headed back to the battleship and the docking bay.

“Commander cut your speed. I repeat cut your speed.” The Flight Officer was telling me to slow down. Klaxons started ringing on the battleship. “BRACE FOR IMPACT!”

I flew inside that docking bay at full throttle, hit full stop just before the safety shields inside caught the fighter in their grip, and was out of that fighter, sliding over the side without a ladder in less than a heart beat. When the Kaxons started sounding everyone ran for cover. Before they could collect their thoughts and return I was gone from the hanger bay.

I was in General Sala’s cabin when the two guards woke up. The flight suit was gone. I was wearing what I had on when they escorted me in.

“Mmmmm.” One of them rubbed his head as he stared at his partner.

“Don’t try to get by us.” The second one offered.

Sitting in the chair I gave them my most innocent look. “I could never get by you. I sure wish we could see the battle from the bridge.”

They looked at one another trying to figure out if they should say anything about passing out. I almost laughed, but managed to choke it back down.

“Report to the bridge.” One of them motioned to me as he touched his ear.

“Oh goody. We get to go watch the battle?” I jumped up from the chair.

“Stupid human.” The other one smirked.

When we walked onto the bridge Sala was staring at me. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“When do we fight the pirates?” I was looking at a big screen filled with our fighters returning.

Sala choked and coughed. “Soon. You have permission to stay on the bridge and watch.”

“The General is too kind.” I gave a bow in her direction.

“Send down a team to give them terms of surrender.” Sala spoke to the man on her left.

“Aye Sir. Lordeen Shipping Port, this is Battleship Pa'an, we are sending down a team to accept your surrender. Any further hostilities we will wipe you off the face of the planet. Acknowledge.”

“Pa'an we acknowledge. Your team may approach.” Came back over the speakers.

I looked shocked. “That’s the battle? I kinda thought there would more to it than that. Oh well, I like it. Do we get to party and all that afterwards?”

“General we found a flight suit in one of the cabins.” One of the guards came on the bridge carrying clothes and a helmet.

Sala turned to look. “Commander Huma?”

The guard shook his head and held up the flight suit so everyone could read the name tag.

A collective gasp came from those who were looking. Those who weren’t, turned to see what had happened. Most of them sucked in their breath also.

“Corporal, is this a joke?” Sala demanded.

“No Sir. This is what we found.” He was holding it out as if it might turn into something he didn’t want.

“Where’s Commander Huma? I want an explanation for this.” Sala was glaring at the guard.

“We didn’t find her or anyone else in the cabin. Just this suit.” The guard looked like he wanted to disappear.

“Search the ship. No one leaves until Commander Huma is found or whoever she is.” Sala gave her orders to the Captain of the Guard on the bridge.

“Aye aye Sir.” The Captain saluted and was giving orders to the ship’s guards.

The Communications Officer, Lurm, walked over to the uniform and touched the name LaSaDa on the nametag. “LaSaDa flew that fighter. She was with us.”

“Don’t be foolish. LaSaDa is a myth. No one has ever seen her. This is someone’s idea of a joke.” The orderly was positive it was a prank.

Lurm shook her head. “No joke. You ever hear of anyone flying a fighter like she did? You ever hear of a fighter disabling a destroyer? LaSaDa has come.”

“She didn’t disable it. She only took out the bridge for a few seconds. We took out the destroyer and finished what she couldn’t do.” He was positive there was no LaSaDa.

“Lurm looked over at the orderly. “And the power grid? That was a fluke also?”

“ENOUGH! We will find who is making this up when we find Commander Huma.” Sala was looking at me.

It was a day later after the battleship had been torn apart by search parties before we were allowed off. It was reported Commander Huma had somehow made it off the ship in the confusion. It was the only explanation. Unless… one wanted to believe the rumor circulating around the ship. LaSaDa had come.

Sala, several of her guards, and officers flew down to inspect Lordeen Shipping Port. I was allowed to ride along. It was on almost everyone’s mind why Sala allowed me to tag along. Respectfully they didn’t question her.

“I have official business to take care of. Try and stay out of trouble. And don’t attract any more attention than you already do.” Sala waited as I stepped off the transport.

I motioned down in the front of myself. “What more than this?” The outfit was the same Sala had loaned me that second day. A golden coil spiral bra, golden mini skirt, and golden thigh boots with a stiletto heel were my attire. Funny what I was wearing seemed normal for me, although I was the only one dressed as such.

Sala traded her mini skirt for a uniform before the battle. She had to present the image of a general in command. She curled up the corner of her mouth before she nodded at one of the guards beside me. “Trest.”

He swallowed and looked doubtful. He had heard the stories about me at the firing range. He handed me a phaser, sword, and a dagger. “I don’t like it. You just remember I’m going along to guard you. You might be carrying one. Keep your damn human hands off the gun... or the sword.”

I buckled the belt around my waist. “Whatever you say. Let’s go. I’ve never been to a shipping port. I wanna look around.”

He was walking along with me. “You might be the general’s pet for whatever reason. I think you are a total fuck up.”

“I’m glad we cleared the air on that one. I love you too.” I turned my head and gave him a wink. It didn’t register. He had no idea what a wink was or that I was being condescending.

Trest guided me to one of the traders shops. The power grid was down. Everyone seemed to be lost and wondering aimlessly. There were a few transporters moving. The big public transporters were stopped because they fed off the power grid. Everyone gave us a wide birth as we walked down the travel ways. I figured it was because of Trest’s Alliance uniform.

“I thought this port was part of the Alliance before the pirates took it? It hasn’t been that long ago. Two moons maybe? Why are they avoiding you?” I watched as a few more stepped back into the shops when they saw us coming.

He was looking as others turned their backs on us. “You’re not very smart. We ran off the pirates who had ships and could flee. That doesn’t mean pirates aren’t still here. The others will probably be back to retake the port. These people aren’t going to take sides until they find out who is in control. Pick the wrong side the pirates will take your business and your life.”

One of those aliens didn’t retreat as we walked past her shop. She looked human. She wasn’t. When I turned to look at her she bowed her head. “Princess would you grace my shop with your presence? Your bodyguard is also welcome.”

Trest hissed in protest. “I’m not her bodyguard.”

“As you wish.” She pointed toward the inside of her shop.

I hesitated. I didn’t want to put a death mark on her head because I walked into her shop. “What if the Alliance doesn’t manage to hold onto the port. It would put you in danger.”

“I am not concerned about the pirates. Please come in.”

Trest grabbed my arm. “If she’s not afraid of the pirates she’s one of them. It’s a trap.”

I pulled the curtains around my mind before I searched the shop with my mind. Then I tried to search her mind and emotions while hidden. She was a telepath and felt me looking at her thoughts.

She closed her eyes and opened her mind hiding nothing. Like Kasu she wasn’t only a telepath, but a seer as well. I looked to see if she had markings on her body like Kasu. She had faint interlocked circles on both arms. I admonished myself for not noticing earlier. I pulled back. It felt wrong to be looking in the closet of another person’s mind. “You are a seer. I’m sorry for invading your life. I didn’t know a seer could hide her markings.”

She studied me as she looked into my eyes. “You can see my markings? I’m not surprised. It’s best to not be known as a seer when the pirates are in control. I feel it was a gift to meet you, even though I did not foresee this part of my vision. You will suffer greatly in the many moons ahead. I saw many paths for you. In all of them you pay a great price, no matter which one you choose. With so many paths for your choices, it clouded the future past that beyond understanding. Be strong Princess. For you we have waited many millennia.”

“Can you not tell me more?” I was hoping for a little guidance into the future. That speech about the pain part wasn’t exactly giving me a thrill.

She shook her head. “You shift the future with your presence. It is no longer clear.”

Trest was holding onto my arm. “Let’s go. She’s one of the crazies.”

I pulled away from Trest and gave a nod to the lady. “Huluo, I wish you well. I pray you find your path easy and your enemies few.”

She bowed. “Thank you Princess. I am afraid you will not be so fortunate. May the Creator give you the strength to match the task which you have been assigned.”

Trest was pulling on my arm again. “Let’s go. She’s diseased.”

We headed back to the docking port. With no power the city had little to show any visitors unless one wanted to count the people scurrying away from us when they saw us.

“Assassins” I screamed as I shoved Trest into a shop door. The phaser blast scorched the building.

I had my phaser in my hand as one of them across the street took aim on Trest. He was a micro second too slow. The two that had been behind us closed in thinking they could step around the door and surprise us. It was their final mistake. I slid the sword back into the scabbard.

Trest was bringing his gun up. The three that had been ahead of us decided they had seen enough. They started retreating as they hosed down the area with phasers. I wanted answers. I didn’t dare show Trest any more than I already had. I reached around the opening and fired a bunch of shots up in the air as the men fled into one of the side streets.

I fell back into Trest hanging on for dear life. “THEY WANT TO KILL US. SAVE ME! SAVE ME!”

He shoved me away. “I can take care of them.” He still had no idea what happened besides hearing a lot of phaser fire. He waited for someone to poke their nose inside the shop. And waited, and waited, until he could wait no more. He eased up to the door. There were two bodies on the walkway just to the side of the door. Trest slowly stuck his head out to look up and down the street. Of course by now it was empty of all life.

I knew Trest was ship personnel and not a real soldier. But slowly sticking one’s head out is the surest way of not having a head to bring back if danger is still lurking. Can we say pop up target? Of course we can.

There was a dead body across the street. As Trest eased out onto the walkway I was praying no one would be foolish enough to step out into the open now. No doubt Trest would shoot first and ask questions later.

I stepped up and grabbed his arm to make sure that didn’t happen. “Are they gone? Are we safe? Let’s get back to the ship before more show up.”

“Sure.” Trest had no idea what happened. He wasn’t going to stick around to figure it out.

As we started back toward the ship something was tickling my mind. Make that several some things. I only knew we were in danger. I urged Trest for a doorway when I was hit in the back. My lights went out.

“Forget the soldier. He has little resale value. We have the woman.” The man with the metal helmet pointed to the body in front of him.

One of the others was firing randomly into the shop to make sure the soldier didn’t come out while a third drove a transporter up beside the woman. They tossed her up into the transporter, climbed in, and fled.

Trest was behind another doorway at the back of the shop firing toward the front every now and then. It was long minutes before he realized no one was firing back. He stuck his head out and waited before he stepped out. The woman was no where to be seen. “Human? Human are you there?”

Slowly, hesitantly he headed for the front of the shop softly calling for the human. He looked outside. The walkways were empty. Turning his attention back inside the store he started calling again. “Human, it’s safe now. You can come out. Human?”

“WHAT! YOU LEFT HER BEHIND!” The words came harder than a whip.

Trest winched. He almost believed he saw storm clouds in General Sala’s eyes. He didn’t think it was such a big deal. After all she was a human. Why was General Sala so upset?

Sala turned to her aid. “Commander, get me a full regiment right now! I want this port taken apart piece by piece. Shut down until Melody is found.”

“Yes Sir!” As Commander Muk was turning to carry out his orders he heard General Sala whisper. “LaSaDa, I shouldn’t have let you go.”

My head was throbbing, I hurt all over, my tongue felt like it was swollen. Other than that and the shackles and chains I was bound with, I was good to go. I pulled the curtains around my mind and started checking my surroundings. I was in a ship in deep space. I was real careful to make sure I didn’t touch any telepaths before deciding there weren’t any on board. I sensed several dark areas. It was the same before my lights went out. I focused on one making, sure I didn’t alert it to my search. I wanted to know what they were.

Slowly I spread my mind into the room. One of the dark areas wasn’t too far from me. It wasn’t a dark void as I had at first thought. It had a physical presence. I didn’t dare touch it with my mind, as I didn’t want to alert it. I studied it wondering if it could be dealt with the same way Kasu had taught me to deal with other life forms? I didn’t want to break my bonds and find out I was facing an adversary I couldn’t deal with. I needed to know how many I was dealing with.

I searched the rest of the ship. There were two more dark voids on the ship along with four reptilian pirates. The pirates wouldn’t be a problem. It was those dark voids that stopped me from shifting the matter around me to free myself. I concentrated on listening to the pirates in the cockpit flying this ship.

“We were the last out. Lordeen was taken over by the Alliance.” He was talking into his mike.

“We picked up a slave before we jumped space. The Homm were there too. We will have to share whatever price she brings with them. No, she’s not marked. She was with an Alliance soldier. We killed him. You know they are trying to stop the slave trade. Hard to imagine though, someone who looks as fine as her wasn’t taken.”

I pulled back to study one of those dark void creatures. I wonder why Kasu never explained them to me? With millions of life forms maybe it was just a matter of time. Or it was possible she had never run into any of them? Even a seer can’t foresee what doesn’t appear to be there. I reached out to the one furthest from me. It had a physical presence, sort of. It was more of a blob than any single shape. It shifted and started acting agitated.

I withdrew my mind. Although not telepathic they were sensitive. It could feel something wasn’t right when I was studying it. I still needed to know what they were. I closed in on the second one. If they had a physical presence, why couldn’t I read their minds? Thought is a universal common thing, no matter the species or the intelligence. Were they guarding their minds the same way I was? It too started becoming agitated. I pulled back.

I could take out the pirates without any effort. It was these Homm that stopped me from dropping my bonds and walking into the cockpit. I had no idea how to fight them. If physical or mental didn’t work on them I was positive I would be dead in seconds. Kasu warned me, no matter how good or how strong one thinks they are, there is always someone better. I didn’t want to find out that lesson when it was too late.

One of the dark void creatures moved up to the cockpit. There were bursts of light coming from it. One of the pirates turned around. He held up something in his right hand and bursts of light came from it.

It dawned on me they were talking to one another. I couldn’t touch the Homm but reading the lizard’s mind was fair game. I tuned in.

“There is a presence on this ship.”

“Where?”

“We don’t know. We can feel someone or something watching us.”

“You have space psychosis. There isn’t anyone on this ship besides us.”

“There is the human you brought on board.”

“That stupid bitch? Is she a telepath? Did you check her out?”

“No we found no extra mind thought for her species.”

“If it isn’t us, or you, and the bitch ain’t anything special, then what is it?

“Be warned. It could possibly kill us all.”

“IT? I’m getting tired of you describing an it to me that isn’t.” The lizard turned and sat down in his seat. “Stupid Homm.”

I pulled back. The creature was searching for me in the cockpit. They communicated by light. A different kind of mind thought, but still mind energy which had to be generated to create thought. I pulled my mind back into the deepest recesses while I studied what I had learned about the dark void creatures. If a phaser could kill them, they wouldn’t be a problem. I could get my hands on a phaser before they could react. Possibly. I had no idea how fast they could move. Then I had no idea if a phaser would hurt them. If they controlled energy the way Kasu could, it would be a short suicidal escape. I wasn’t capable of controlling enough energy to hurt Kasu or anyone else who did.

Was it doubt that stopped me? Or was I being smart by not breaking my bonds and escaping? I decided to wait when no dark voids were around. Something had knocked me out without me sensing it coming. I didn’t want a repeat performance. Going against an unknown was an act of desperation. I wasn’t desperate. Yet.

Chapter Three will be posted Saturday. Stay tuned. More exciting adventures of our Princess are yet to come.

The ship settled in on a port on Erue. “On your feet slave.” I was hoisted to my feet by two of the lizards. I had hoped to be touched by the one of the creatures called the Homm to learn more about them. Provided it didn’t turn out my lights again that is.

I was marched to a cell. It wasn’t only for holding prisoners. It was for fitting them with the things a well dressed prisoner was supposed to be wearing. I didn’t like where this was going. Those Homm were sticking close or I would have taken my chances and escaped.

“No markings. Where did you pick her up at?” One of the men in the cell was looking me over.

“We picked her up at Lordeen. We were the last out. The Alliance moved back in. How much you think she will bring on the market?” One of the men from the ship poked at me.

“Fine looking slave. I’d give a couple thousand for her myself.” The cell guy dropped a metal bucket helmet down on my head. I could feel it tighten up around my neck. There weren’t any eye holes and everything went dark.

My eyes weren’t necessary to see what they were doing. I watched as the cell guy worked with a computer. My body stiffened. I didn’t try and break their control over my body.

Two more guards moved up with more equipment and removed all my chains… and my clothes, which included my bra.

“Look but don’t touch.” Was in my mind. If those Homm would leave, I’d tear this place apart.

One of them placed a bucket on my left breast and... I had a breast shield and a vertical ring in my left breast. The metal bucket on my head was supposed to keep me under control and not feel or know what they were doing. Hey guys, I felt that and it hurt like hell. He did my right breast with the same machine. Damn that hurt and it was so quick. Nothing like high technology for your fresh slave introduction.

They fused a metal band around each wrist and each ankle. They weren’t through, as they fused a metal corset around my torso pulling in my waist even more. My breasts weren’t covered. The helmet was removed leaving the collar around my neck. I received a ring through each ear lobe, along with a nose ring.

What is it about slavers wanting to put rings in every place imaginable when they take slaves?

“Over here slave.” One of the cell guys pointed to a tall box.

When I didn’t move that collar shocked the heck out of me. “uhhhh” I went to my knees.

“Get up bitch.” He motioned to the box.

I guess I was too slow to respond, or maybe he just liked teaching new slaves the rules. The collar shocked me again. “uhhhhh”

“Get up you stupid bitch.” He pointed to the box.

I managed to get to my feet and walk over to the box. My arms were yanked straight out in front of me as I was pulled into the box. They used a tractor field on the wrist bands. I bet it worked on the ankle bands the same way. A metal ring was placed around the base of each breast squeezing the fire out of them. I screamed in pain. “AAAAAAAEEEEE!”

The metal ring, the breast shields, and rings were opposing one another so my breasts were stretched out. I guess that was their idea of a brassier? That hurt like hell. “AAAAEEEEEEE!”

My head was yanked back by my hair. I wasn’t pleased with what they had done there either. I had small twinkling lights, and bells imbedded in my long hair. The bells didn’t need me to move to be constantly tinkling. The bells were self powered. I also had a huge, heavy ring braided in at the end of my braid.

“Come slave.”

I backed out of the booth.

One of them handed me a skirt wrap to put around my waist. “Put this on.”

I took it and covered myself.

“She doesn’t say much does she?” One of the cell guards was examining his handiwork, which was me.

“Maybe she’s mute, or maybe she doesn’t know how to speak.” One of the other guards stepped up and put his hands on my butt.

“Come slave.” The guard walked toward the door.

I received another shock from that collar. I went to my knees. “Aaaaah!”

“Now get up bitch, and get your ass moving. Follow me.” He was out the door.

I jumped to my feet and ran after him. I needed an escape plan, and I needed to know more about the Homm.

He walked out to a transporter. I climbed in beside him. My wrists immediately pulled up and locked to my breasts, as my ankles locked together. Fascinating technology. I was positive he wouldn’t enjoy it as much if he was the recipient of it.

We left the Homm behind. I could easily escape, take the transporter to a ship, and leave this pirates torture world behind. I needed to know more about the Homm. The pirates had a formable ally. One I needed to know how to defeat.

He stopped at a huge dome where crowds were coming and going. This was getting worse by the minute. I could take out one or more, but a crowd? Not happening.

“Move it bitch.” My ankles were free, but not my hands. I managed to work my way out of that transporter with my wrists locked to my breasts.

“Follow me.” He headed into the dome.

Most of those coming and going were giving me the once over. I was searching minds until I felt a dark void. I pulled back before I touched it with my mind. Several more dark voids came to my mind. I had hoped I had left them behind. I pulled the curtains around my mind as they became agitated. They seemed to be extra sensitive to mind thought. I had no idea if they were telepathic or empathic. I was afraid of touching their minds and alerting them that I was more than a normal.

My handler led me into the center of an arena. There were forty three more slaves in the same area. Not all of them were female species. “Do not step outside the circle until someone comes to claim you.” He left.

I looked for a circle on the floor. There wasn’t any.

Someone screamed. A female fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Two men grabber her and dragged her back toward the center. “Told you to not try and escape.”

She screamed again. They were using the shock collar as punishment.

I searched the crowds for the Homm. Looking up I saw a big ring suspended above us. That had to be the circle we weren’t supposed to step outside of.

A big lizard stepped up in front of me. He reminded me of Osk. “What’s your name slave?”

“Melody.” I figured they would learn I could talk sooner or later. I wasn’t into the punishment thing.

“You’re human aren’t you.” He didn’t say it as a question.

“Yes.”

“Pathetic creatures. Yet if you go cheap enough I will buy you.” He reached down and grabbed the ring braided into the end of my hair. He held it up.

Instantly I was pulled up off my feet. I was hanging in the air by my hair. Another one of those damn tractor beam things no doubt. It was a technology I was getting damn tired of.

I had an idea. I found one of the slaves and gave a mind thought for him to start walking. He walked out past the ring and fell to the floor screaming.

At the same instant the collar shocked him I searched through the mind of one of the Homm and pulled back just as quickly. Just a nano second, but it was a start. The five Homm in the Dome started flashing one another. They were more than agitated. From that instant connection, I found other telepathic species outside the Homm never connected with a Homm. I found out why. Their minds were just as big a black hole as they represented physically and emotionally. If I hadn’t flashed in and out it was possible I could have been pulled into that void.

How in the world were these creatures ever formed in the first place? They seemed to be the complete opposite of all other life. What kind of devils contract did the pirates agree to when they joined league with these creatures?

The Homm I mind flashed moved down in front of the slave that screamed at the same instant I mind flashed him. The slave’s ankle and wrist bands were locked together so he couldn’t back away. He was screaming in fear. “NO, NO, NO, NO…”

A tentacle snaked out from the Homm and touched the slave who instantly went limp. That must have been what happened when they captured me. Didn’t see it coming until it was too late. The Homm pulled back and flashed the other Homm. It moved back up into the bleachers.

Two slaves came in from the aisle, picked the man up and carried him out. I touched his mind for an instant. He was still alive but barely. Having a Homm touch you obviously wasn’t in one’s best interest.

The big lizard that had left me hanging by my hair started auctioning off the slaves. The older ones went cheap, if one considers selling any life cheap. They sold off thirty one slaves when the lizard got to me. “What’s your name slave?”

“Melody.” I heard my voice echo through out the dome. They were broadcasting me. I came up on big screens around the dome.

“You will answer with master from now on. “What is your name slave?”

“Melody, Master.” I didn’t need to be telepathic to understand how he wanted me to answer.

“Where were you captured slave?” He gave my body a spin and I started spinning around like a top suspended by my hair.

“Lordeen, Master” I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to watch the audience spin around me.

“She is a fresh, disease free virgin.” He stopped me from spinning and removed my wrap skirt. “Who will start the bidding at forty thousand?”

No one said anything, or made any indication they wanted to bid.

“Am I offered thirty?” The bells braded into my hair started chiming loudly as the lights flashed. No one moved.

“Am I offered ten?”

One of the assistants took my arm and paraded me around inside the circle.

“Am I offered five?” Still nothing. “Then I offer five myself and will buy her. Going, going…”

“Ten” Was called out from the bidders.

“Fifty” Another voice cried.

“One thousand” From a third.

“Fifty thousand” Came from the speakers, but it was a Homm who flashed the bid.

Oh great. Sold to a Homm. Shoot me now because it will never happen.

“One hundred thousand” Came from someone who looked human enough.

“One hundred fifty” The Homm upped the offer

“Two hundred” The man was just as quick

“Two fifty” The Homm placed his bid

“Four hundred thousand” The man countered.

The auctioneer looked around. “Do I hear four hundred ten? Going, going, gone.”

The man said something to the woman beside him and turned and left. She made her way down the bleachers until she was standing in front of me. I was lowered to the floor, the bells and lights were turned off and my hands were free.

“She handed me my wrap skirt. “Put this on.”

“Yes Mistress.” I did as she ordered.

The auctioneer handed her a control. No doubt the device to control the bonds.

“Follow me.” She picked up the chain attached to my nipple rings. As she turned, my wrists were pulled up and locked to my nipple rings.

She led me out of the dome to a transporter. “Get in.”

“Yes Mistress.” I struggled to get into that transporter without being able to use my hands, but I made it. My ankles immediately locked together.

She drove out to a space port and up to one of the space craft. The man was waiting. He walked up to the transporter. The woman handed him the control. My legs were free.

“Into the ship.”

“Yes Master.” I worked my way out of the transporter and was headed to the ship when a Homm appeared.

Lights started flashing between the man and the Homm. I tuned into the man’s thoughts.

“She’s mine.” The Homm flashed.

“Then you should have bought her.” The man flashed back.

“I didn’t have that many credits.” The Homm flashed as his agitation begin rising. It wasn’t all due to the way the conversation was going. He could sense mind thought.

He pointed at the woman. “Your witch is using thought. Tell her to stop.”

“She’s free do to do whatever she wants.”

“Give me the slave.” He was really agitated now.

“Never happen.”

I was wondering how this was going to end. The man wasn’t expressing any signs of fear of the Homm.

The Homm started to reach for me. The man had a phaser in his hand. I closed my eyes and turned my head as he fired. It didn’t fire an energy beam as such, but a light beam. A really bright light beam. One that would burn your eyes out if you were looking at it.

The Homm fell back, stunned and not moving.

“Get on the ship.” The man motioned to me and the woman.

Minutes later we were in space, leaving that world behind.

I was working on what I had witnessed. “If the Homm were a dark void in a sense, then the opposite would be light. They could stand normal light, as it didn’t seem to affect them. Enough light stunned them.

We jumped to hyperspace. The woman picked up the control and locked my ankles together again. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Melody Master.” I knew she was looking for answers. She was a telepath. She could sense some mind thought back at the port, even though she couldn’t make it out.

“Don’t you get smart with me. You’re more than looks. Just who the hell are you and how much mind control do you possess?”

“I’m sorry Master I don’t have any psychic abilities.” I bowed my head in submission.

I fell over on the floor curled up like pretzel as my breast rings were pulled down to my ankle bands. Which hurt like hell.

“Answer me. How much mind thought do you possess?” She pushed another button.

My breasts were slowly being squeezed by the big ring at the base. I started to cry in pain. “Please Master I have no mind tricks.”

She pushed another button and my breasts were being stretched as the nipple ring was pushed away from the shrinking base ring. She was trying to read my mind.

“Aaaaeeeee! Please Master.”

The collar shocked the heck out of me. “Aaaaeeeee!”

Everyone has a thresh hold where, no matter the consequences, enough is enough. I could retreat in my mind and let my body take the punishment without me, but I'd had enough. I lashed out. Everything is made of energy. Everything is energy, no matter whether it is living or inanimate. The control in her hand turned to dust the same instant all those things they put in and on my body fell away.

I stood up.

She was in total shock, not believing what she witnessed. “not possible”

Her clothes fell away. All that damn metal that had been placed on me was now on her. “Get a feel for it bitch because it is possible.”

I closed off her mind thoughts so she couldn’t scream out to the guy in the cockpit. I formed fire in my right hand and played with it. Her eyes grew in sheer terror. She understood no matter how impossible it might be she was experiencing that impossibility.

Closing my fist the fire disappeared as the ‘clothes’ I was wearing when I first stepped into this dimension, appeared on my body. A golden sword appeared in my right hand. The junk in my hair fell to the floor as my hair untwined from the braided pony tail. It swept out around me, as from a mysterious wind of energy. Unbridled energy was playing around most of the cabin as if we were riding a lightning bolt itself. Golden serpents appeared on both my arms, their tail at my shoulders, their heads on the back of my hands. I took a look. They weren’t on top of the skin but they weren’t under it either. I reached over with my left hand and touched the one on my right hand. It felt like my own skin. Fascinating. “I guess I’m marked now. Kasu said I would get my markings when the time was right.”

Next time I ran into the Homm I needed more than fire or ice. I formed a light ball in my left hand. I knew without doubt I could make it strong enough to give everyone photo flash burns and more. I closed it off.

“Let’s go talk to that pilot shall we?” I pointed toward the cockpit.

She went up ahead of me. The pilot turned to look when she walked into the cockpit. “Muel, she should be locked...” He took a second look as he reached for his phaser.

I let him pull it and fire. I caught the blast in my hand. He fired again with the same results. The phaser turned to dust. “My turn.”

“Who the hell are you?” He stared at me in shock.

Muel was staring at me. “She’s LaSaDa. She has to be.”

“The children’s tales? That was only entertainment for children and weak minds.” He was still staring.

“Children’s tales? I guess I am. Would you care to taste a few of those children’s tales?” He was now she wearing an exact copy of the same metal Muel was.

She screamed in terror. “nnnnooooooooooo”

Funny but it was which side of those damn slave ornaments one was wearing whether it appealed or not. I don’t guess he liked it from the slave side.

Pulling up the star chart on the console I pointed to Lordeen. “Point this ship toward that port.”

She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she was no longer he as she stared at herself. I dropped down in the co-pilot’s seat and altered course. “Tell me how to navigate back through the system without raising the suspicions of the pirates?”

When she didn’t answer I turned toward Muel. She was shaking as she whined. “I’m not a pilot. I don’t know.”

My attention went back to the pilot. “Okay sweetheart this is where we start with the training lessons you wanted to inflict on me. Answer my questions or it’s going to get really ugly.”

“Please... change me back.” She was crying and begging.

I took hold of her mind and shoved her out of the spaceship. She was flailing, clawing to get back in. I pulled her back in. Even though she had never left the ship her mind experienced it.

“How do I avoid the pirates?” She was sobbing and crying in fear. I didn’t receive a response. “I can take your mind apart until I find the answers. You think what you experienced was scary? Wait until you have someone crawling around inside your head with you.”

“I... I’ll tell you. Please change me back.” She was crying.

“Don’t tell me just plot it into the navigation system.”

Muel was crying by now. “You’re going to kill us.”

“Only if you lead me into a trap. I have enough blood on my soul without adding more for revenge or for no purpose.” I searched ahead. The problem with a mind search is, the further one reaches out, the stronger the mind thought becomes. It stops being a flashlight and turns into a spotlight, and then a search beam. And it draws unwanted attention from those who sense it. It was easy to understand when one realized that thought is energy.

I would risk it. I reached out and touched Kasu’s mind. “I’m okay. Can’t visit.”

Kasu found a seat before she fell down. The mind thought was no longer the Melody she knew. LaSaDa had arrived. She reached out and searched with her mind, knowing it was probably futile. There were billions of minds out there. Searching through them for this Melody would be a Herculean task. Given time and enough contact with the new Melody it would be easy to find and touch her mind, no matter where she was or how far away. Although the thought Kasu received was Melody, it was no longer her. She had changed. She had come of age. The prophecies had come. The Warrior Princess was now a true warrior.

Kasu walked over and picked up the transmitter. “Sala, Melody is alright.”

“Thank the Creator. Where is she? We will go pick her up.” Came back.

“She didn’t give a location. Praying for her safe return is the best we can do.” Kasu laid down the transmitter and prayed. This could be a long wait.

I could feel them, even though the ship’s screen wasn’t showing them. There was an empty place out in space that didn’t belong. I scoped out the ship I was riding in. The armament was next to nothing. Shielding was paper thin. We were at full throttle and that other ship was closing. There was no safety in playing normal now. If they got their whatever on me I was through. I reached out to the other ship. The three Homm became extremely agitated. I didn’t touch them, although I really wanted to try. Their ship was heavily armed and had shielding out the wazoo. If they caught us it was lights out for me.

“You have any friends in this part of space?” I looked at the pilot.

“Friends? You have friends everywhere if you have credits. Look at me, no one could be my friend. If anyone sees me they will want to own me.” She was crying.

“Yeah, I know the feeling about everyone wanting to own you. Goes with being in the wrong neighborhood and being the wrong sex. When you’re a bitch life turns into almost everyone looking down their nose at you.” The Homm ship blipped onto the edge of the view screen.

“Look who’s coming to dinner.” I sought out the Homm ship again. They knew I was looking at them. One of them tried to look into our ship. This was an unexpected surprise. I thought they were only sensitive to mind thought and had to communicate via light. I pulled back and started picking at his thoughts via his link inside our ship. I could feel him as he pulled back in confusion. Unexpected results for sure. Were they like other species, where the odd one was telepathic?

The pilot looked like a wretched mess. She was not handling the sex change very well. “Why are the Homm closing in on your ship? Are they friendly or do they want prisoners?”

She sniffed and looked out across space as if looking for the Homm ship. “In the seldom traveled parts of space they take prisoners for food. May be that Homm we left behind.”

Now it was my turn to be shocked. “They do what? They are cannibals?”

She nodded in agreement. “They suck the life force out of other life forms.”

“Then why in the hell are pirates trading with them?” It wasn’t a question. I knew the answer was as old as time itself. ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ The pirates were willing to sacrifice a few lives as long as the Homm were taking lives from the Allies. Kasu why didn’t you teach me about this life form? How do I fight them?

Before heading toward the cargo hold I turned on the distress beacon. I popped the hatch on the life craft. I formed three golden globes in my hand and placed them inside the craft. If I could get the Homm to follow the life craft it would give me a little more time. The globes created from mind thought would feel like mind thought to those who might be looking. Hopefully the Homm would think it was us. I launched the craft tangent to our direction. Its distress beacon immediately kicked in when launched.

Back in the cockpit I pulled the shades down over my mind and the minds of the other two. And waited. The Homm took the bait. They searched the ship for thought. Almost immediately their ship changed direction headed after the life craft. I had bought us a little time. They would be back.

Hoping someone would answer the distress signals from the raft, and this ship, were all I had. We weren’t going to make a port before they were back and took us out. If the Homm wanted us for a meal they would take out our drive and then board us. I could flash and kill them, but the ones left on their ship would back off and turn us to cosmic dust.

Minutes later, just to prove me right, the little life ship winked out of existence. The Homm found out they had been duped and turned it into space debris.

“Oh joy this is going so well LaSaDa.” Saying my name brought me up short. It was the second time I had said my name. The first was when I had told Kasu who I was. “Courage girl, you’re supposed to be someone. Yeah, like dead meat. Or more aptly lunch for some damn Homm.”

Kasu said no matter who or what you think you are there is always someone more powerful and better than you. I just hated proving her right so early in life before I really got started.

“Well poop.” I unshielded our minds and backed mine up where I would appear as nothing more than a normal if the Homm did a mind search on us.

It seemed like the Homm ship was alongside almost instantly, although it took almost half an hour for them to catch us. They were good, as they fried the shields, drive, and then the life support. The distress beacon died, along with everything else on the ship.

Muel and the pilot were both crying in sheer terror knowing what was coming. I decided that was the way to blend in so I started crying in sheer terror too. “Please, please, don’t hurt me. Please save us.”

They tractored the ship over to the belly of their craft, dropped an airlock on us and then lasered a hole into the hull. A Homm slipped into the ship. Muel was screaming as it reached out and touched her. She went limp. He did the same to the pilot who dropped like she had been sand bagged. I retreated my mind and shielded it from my body as it reached out and touched me. I could feel the life instantly leave my body. And then, slowly, life started regenerating.

Now I knew what happened when they touched me back on Lordeen. Same effect as killing someone and then reviving them. We were carried back over to their ship and down to some sort of holding compartment where ten other life forms were. Two were human, five were the lizards. And the last three…? More dead than alive. The Homm had been feeding off them. They were nothing more than empty shells.

Reclaiming my body, I took hold of everyone’s mind and forced them to look away. The Homm knew something wasn’t right as it started to reach out to me. I formed and let loose a light in my right hand that would make the sun look like it had gone out. The Homm was gone.

“Disgusting.” I headed for the cockpit and the other two Homm. They knew something was wrong, but were slow in deciding what it was. I walked into the cockpit with fire in my eyes and anger in my heart. I didn’t try to shield my mind or my emotions. They felt me coming. I wanted them to feel some of what they had been spreading, terror. But they weren’t capable of feeling terror. It was an unknown to them.

When I walked into the cockpit they both were waiting and lashed out to touch me. I already had the light in my hand and released it.

The controls were unlike anything I had ever seen. There wasn’t anything like buttons, handles, dials, or any seats or things my kind of life forms would use to control a ship. Forming a chair I sat down in front of the console. Laying my hands down on the console I tried to feel how they controlled this craft.

“They use thought.” Came to me. Their mind thought was so alien to all other life forms I didn’t think it would be possible to control the ship. As I sat there their mind thought slowly came to me. I had touched one of them even if only briefly.

Talk about dark matter. Slowly the ship started moving away from the other craft. Instantly we were in hyperdrive, hurling through space toward Lordeen.

“Alien craft stand down.” Was coming from the Pa'an.

I couldn’t communicate with them because the Homm ship used light thought. I hadn’t figured out what color, strength, or duration of light it took to communicate. “Sala don’t fire on us.” I sent to her, hoping she was on the bridge.

“Alien craft, I repeat stand down.” Was being sent over and over again.

“Sala, it’s me. Don’t fire on us.” I didn’t lower our shields. I didn’t want that first blast from the Pa'an to roast us.

The Pa'an started moving out to cut us off. “Alien craft this is your final warning. Stand down. I repeat, stand down.”

Sala was running down the corridor toward the bridge. “DO NOT FIRE ON THAT SHIP! OFFICER OF THE DECK DO NOT FIRE ON THAT SHIP!”

A phaser blast fried our shields. I knew the second one would be curtains.

“Sala, it’s LaSaDa don’t fire on us.” I knew she was on the Pa'an. I could feel her.

Sala ran onto the bridge. “CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE, DO NOT FIRE ON THAT SHIP!”

She hit the com link on the command chair. “FIRE CONTROL STAND DOWN! DO NOT FIRE ON THAT SHIP! FIRE CONTROL STAND DOWN! DO NOT FIRE ON THAT SHIP!”

“Bridge, this is Fire Control, cease fire understood Captain.”

Sala fell into the chair. “My God, we almost killed her!”

Taking a deep breath she looked over at her communications officer. “Tell LaSaDa welcome home and accept our deepest apologies.”

“Ma’am? I mean Sir?” Communications Officer, Lurm looked doubtful.

“Send it.” Sada looked at the bridge officer. “Clear hanger deck one and accept LaSaDa as our guest.”

Now it was Jun who looked doubtful. “General?”

Sala pushed up out of her chair. “Officer of the Deck you have the bridge again. I’m going down to the hanger deck to welcome her home.”

“The General has lost her mind.” One of the orderlies whispered, as Sala left the bridge.

They didn’t allow me to fly that ship onto the Pa'an. I was ordered to shut everything down as the Pa'an pulled up beside us. Every gun on that side of the Pa'an was trained on us as they tractor beamed us into the docking bay.

There were heavy guns inside that docking bay trained on us, along with forty two soldiers who took up firing positions as the hatch opened up. Sala disregarded all protocol and safety as she stepped up beside the craft.

Sala’s eyes got as big as saucers when I stepped off the craft. She gave a slight nod of her head as she stared. “Your Majesty.”

Walking over to her I was laughing as I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. “Have I changed so much you forgot I am the one you beat the poop out of with those training sticks?”

She wrapped her arms around me and hugged the life. “Yes, you have changed. I was so afraid we had lost you.”

“It was touch and go a couple times. I learned a lot.” I eased back as I looked at the soldiers still ready with their weapons. “Love your homecoming committee.”

Sala laughed as she cried and pulled me in for another hug. “Same we give for all who come in with a craft we haven’t ever seen before. Where did you steal it?”

“Actually it found me. Long story. I’ll tell you and Kasu everything I learned. If you don’t know the craft then you haven’t ever met the Homm. You will need special weapons to fight them. They are in league with the pirates.

Sala backed up as she looked me over and ran her hands down my arms. “You have come of age.” She was looking at the golden serpents.

“Yeah, it happened as I was being tortured. I have some souls on board. Some need medical. Three of them... they are already dead, but haven’t given up yet.”

“A few minutes won’t matter then.” Sala turned to face the soldiers. “Captain, I want you and your men to meet LaSaDa.”

He looked doubtful. “She’s…? She looks human? Is this not the one you called Melody we searched the port for?”

Sala laughed. “The one, but not the same. She has come of age.”

She winked at me. “It seems my soldiers are having a little trouble believing LaSaDa has come. Would you mind, a little show and tell.”

“If you like.” My hair began waving in the invisible wind whirling around me. Talk about theatrics. I needed to learn how to control all that energy swirling around as I pulled it in to use. A fire ball appeared in one hand and an ice ball in the other. I put them down on the floor. They started rolling out away from each other. Then circled back to collide where they canceled each other out.

Some of the soldiers lowered their weapons. Most all of them stared. A few looked doubtful. They were trained soldiers, expect the unexpected.

“Illusion.” One of the soldiers snorted.

“Sergeant please step forward.” I motioned a come here with my finger.

He stepped up.

“That rifle you’re holding real?”

He grinned. “Real enough to kill anyone I shoot. I don’t think magic tricks and illusions are going to stop anyone shooting back at me. I want the real thing.”

Nodding in agreement, I smiled. “Me too. Courage soldier. Shoot me.”

“Ma’am!?” He looked confused.

“I said shoot me, or I’m going to kill you.” Reaching over I pulled Sala’s phaser off her hip.

“Put the weapon down.” He raised his rifle and aimed it at me.

“I’m going to kill you.” I brought mine up. He fired.

I didn’t hold up my hand or form another me to block the blast. I no longer needed to give my mind that physical assurance that I wasn’t going to be hurt.

“Hologram.” He muttered, as he fired again to erase all doubt.

The golden sword appeared in my right hand after I handed Sala’s phaser back to her. I could feel the energy as small sparkles of light began playing around me like fireflies. There was a flash. All of the soldier’s rifle in front of his hands fell to the floor. He never felt it when the sword cut through his rifle. What he had left was basically a stock and trigger.

“Ohhhhh shit...” He was looking and trying to comprehend. He dropped what was left in his hands as he back peddled into the man behind him.

Looking at the sword I wondered if it was the same as other objects created from mind thought? Or possibly pure energy unlike anyone had ever seen before? The sword slowly faded away. I shook my head. “Humans aren’t the only ones carrying a load of doubt.”

I took her hands and studied her eyes. “There are a lot of pirates. They have some really wicked friends. This war isn’t going to be easy nor quick. The price is going to be extremely high in lives lost on both sides. I need yours and Kasu’s guidance if I’m to help.”

Sala laughed. “My guidance? You’re joking. You are way past anything I can teach you.”

“You’re wrong. There is a peace and tranquility about you. You taught me to fight, Kasu taught me to use my mind. Now I need you to teach me peace. I need Kasu to teach me about life. My cup is only half full. Please, I need your guidance.”

Sala ran her fingers down my arms, tracing the golden serpents. “Me teaching LaSaDa. The grandkids will never believe this in a million moons.”

Sala took a second look as my golden eyes danced with mischief. “Oh no, whatever you’re thinking, this is a military ship and...”

She was no longer wearing her military uniform. A silver coil bra covered her breasts. She was wearing a silver mini skirt and silver high heel thigh boots, along with the pistol, sword, and dagger on her hip, and a rifle slung over her back.

She laughed as she glanced down at her attire. “I’ve lost their respect as a General.”

“But you gained their respect as a patriot. Let’s go talk to Kasu. This battle ship will be okay as long as I’m not out there for them to target practice on.” I pointed at the fighters on the other side of the hanger bay.

“You can’t just come in here and take what you want without the proper clearance and request forms... well, I guess you can.”

Sala turned to the Captain of the Guard. “Captain. I’m leaving the ship with LaSaDa. Tell the Bridge Officer the ship is his.”

“Ma’am... Sir... General…? Yes Sir, Ma’am.” He gave a snappy salute. “May I add, I like your uniform Sir... Ma’am.”

It felt good being close to Sala. There was a peace within my soul when I was close to her or Kasu. It was more than them being my guardians and mentors. They were a balance in my life in the chaos of this dimension.

As we launched out of the hanger bay I did a wing over. Sala was right on my wing tip as we flew up and over the battleship and skimmed the bridge. We knew each other so well we flew as one. I knew everyone was diving for cover as we put distance between us and that battleship.

“Someone get me the number of those two pilots. Have a safe trip General. You also LaSaDa.” Came in over the comlink.

Thinking back I remembered what Huluo had told me. “You will suffer greatly in the many moons ahead. I saw many paths for you. All of them you paid a great price no matter which one you chose. With so many paths for your choice, it clouded the future past that beyond understanding. Be strong Princess, for you, we have waited many millennia.”

What I had been through with the Homm and pirates was probably a non-starter. Huluo indicated this was going to be a long drawn out painful process. Everyone was going to pay a high price.

“Kasu? Sala and I are coming home. See you soon.” I sent Kasu a mental message.

“Do you mind?” I sent Sala a mind thought instead of using the transmitters.

“Not at all. I prefer this way. We aren’t broadcasting our conversation across space.”

“How is it a General is command of a space ship? Back home we call them...”

“I know what you call them. Here we use what is available. I was the highest ranking military officer with the experience. Thus, I was in command when the need arose. Accept that which is LaSaDa. Push when you have time. Fight when you must. Kill as necessary. Accept that which matters little. The Private can fire a gun and so can the Captain. When both are there, would you care if you were defended by the Private or the Captain? Peace will come to your soul when you do not try and micromanage everything and everyone.”

EPILOG:
Sala told me I could return to Earth if I wanted. I wouldn’t change back to a man. I wouldn’t blend in so many ways they would probably want to start shooting me. She told me most of the humans I met or would meet in this dimension were born here and those who weren’t human looked down on other species. That included humans. Although the Alliance recruits from many worlds, Earth is a very small infinitesimal part of that. She said it was divine guidance she had been testing a portal that day when I stepped through. Kasu called and told her LaSaDa had split the dimensions. It was the only reason Sala took me to see Kasu instead of sending me to a military training unit.

I asked about a General commanding a battleship. Sala told me the Alliance used resources where ever they found them. There were Admirals in the Alliance too. There were never enough for a war that had been ongoing for centuries, scattered across hundreds of galaxies.

As long as there are intelligent beings, some will want to take and control everyone and everything. There will be those who don’t want to be taken or have others controlling their lives. This war would end only if we could stop the takers, such as those like the pirates and the bloated government bureaucracy. Even if we succeed, life will cycle and start anew doing the same thing. Was it worth the effort? I needed to know more about the Homm. Gear Up!

The End

Both Barbie and I wish to thank all of you for reading, commenting and kudoing the story. We very much appreciate ALL your input, whether good or bad. Another story IS in the works and will begin posting on Monday or Tuesday the 18th or 19th of August 2014. It's another Space Opera/Adventure tale but this one is huge, with two books already written, so get ready to Blast Off again!

Catherine Linda Michel, The Editor.