Chapter 7
6 weeks into space and Dramkick had yet to track down even one Benbre. Individual planets were being tossed over like a messy room and the inhabitants given "Help or Die" orders. The military's grasp was squeezing the life out of every world they randomly selected. Dramkick's feeling was that even sprinters legs get tired if they're kicked hard enough. All of the Benbre's families and friends had been killed or captured (with the news of such made public knowledge, and yet they still ran). Dramkick was devising new methods for capture, least of which a lifetime's worth of pure Praem for information leading to their whereabouts. This created a rash of first time bounty hunters with a thirst for Praem and knowledge of the best mousetraps. When the Benbres heard of the bounty on their heads they collectively felt a chill go down their backs.
"We're dead, we are DEAD!" Poeragard paced back and forth slapping the air in front of them. "There isn't a scumbag alive who wouldn't tear us to pieces for all that Praem. I didn't sign up for this, Vield, no way no how!" Poeragard said frantically as he kept checking the monitors on the sides and on back of the ship. He coughed and said nervously, "If they find out were on this ship, they will descend on us like a fist full of maggots."
The ship they are riding in is a Brainbere freighter-it's off-white in color and looks like the mane of a lion's hair in shape. It has a glass cockpit where the lion's face would of been. It also has 8 pairs of descending jet thrusters on the rear of the ship. On the sides are 6 short range missiles and 10 laser cannons per side. On the front it has one large gun that hangs independently from the cockpit. It also has an array of multi-colored lights that flash periodically and melt together to form large pictures of flower pedals, war scenes, and old Dramkick himself juggling with different planets over which he ruled. The Brainbere generates a hologram 20 feet in front of it of a giant outstretched hand-it signifies that it is in need of cargo. It is 4 1/2 football fields long and 2 wide, and over 5 stories high.
Inside the cockpit there are 2 black leather Capt.'s chairs and a green 3 person couch on the left wall. The couch snakes around the corner and has a silver statue of a hand crushing a beating heart-it sits on a large red marble table. The walls are covered with control panels and there is a refrigerator unit that hangs down from the ceiling. The stove folds out of the right wall with just the press of a button. The floor has a map of every known star system painted on it. And there are 2 white beds that come out of the floor upon of simple voice command of "Up."
"Please, Poeragard, Dramkick's a fool and a swindler," Vield begged as he motioned with his hands for Poeragard to calm down. "Nobody's dumb enough to think he'll pay such an outrageous sum. And if someone did, they would be a fool themselves and no one we need to concern ourselves with," Vield said hollowly as he sipped a cup of Toffy and fought his own panic attacks.
"Look, Vield, you're stronger than I, you at least can reason with Dramkick. If I am caught, I'll end up splattered on a wall somewhere," Poeragard replied as he clutched his shaking left arm tightly.
"Poeragard, he doesn't want you dead for it, he did, you've certainly given him enough reason in the past to do just that," Vield said and then he put up his hands as an apology. "No, it's our secrets he wants and those very secrets are the only thing I hold dear. And if I die protecting the summation of me then…then a man and his fate can't be separated for more than a lifetime," Vield said sadly as he put his arm around Poeragard.
Poeragard nodded and said softly, "You're right my friend, I would rather be dead and my secrets dead with me, then be a politician's parlor game," Poeragard sucked on a Praem tube he had in his left hand and then said, "We should have seen this coming, Fools the lot of us."
"No, not fools, if you dine with the devil the last course is always your heart. Dramkick like his father will find his end," Vield said coldly as he sat down in the Capt.'s chair.
"It would seem so, but I just can't allow myself to believe it. After that debacle with Doe Sides, I knew a Sepex bounty Hunter was a dumb choice, but we were so desperate," Poeragard said tearfully as he sits down on the 3 person couch and slowly closes his eyes with a sigh in is heart.
"Don't concern yourself with that, he was the best choice at the time," Vield replied with a tear in his own heart. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Imagine if Dramkick knew that was our idea. Imagine the horrors he'd put us through no, no it's better to fight this and run 'til the stars run out," Vield said sadly as he looked back at Poeragard.
"You're right, I'll not go through his revenge fantasies," Poeragard snorted as he threw a feeble punch through the air. "Not under these or any other circumstances. A man that petty would break your mind and then destroy your body slowly. Oh God, to think of it," Poeragard lay back on the couch lodging his head between a cushion and the armrest.
"Poeragard, calm down...what's this? There are 2 ships 3 miles back that just came on the ship's rear sensors," Vield said quickly as he stared at the monitors.
Poeragard jumped up and hurried to Vield's side and asked frantically, "Who the hell would be out here?"
"I don't know what or who it is. This trade route was supposed to be abandoned years ago! Oh God don't be Dramkick, don't be just don't," Vield pleaded sternly as he grabbed hold of the weapon's controls.
"Good idea, even if it's Dramkick we can still hold them off with our firepower," Poeragard said hopefully as he kicked a pedal with his foot and a pair of black steel guns controls rose out of the computer panel. He grabbed them and shouted, "They're my secrets you Tyrant!"
"Only a fool would be this far off course. Let's catch up to them and ascertain their destination," Vor Me Sgt. Lianis Alleher said firmly as she looked at the Brainbere on the monitor in front of her.
Lianis is purple skinned with dark green hair that is braided into triangles. Her lips are thick and full and her eyes are no-nonsense. She is 5'7" tall and a svelte hundred and 10 pounds. She is wearing a checkered black and orange flight suit with a yellow donut shaped helmet and a tan visor on her head-the word Quadromolan is written an angle on either side of the helmet. She also has on black leather gloves and white rubber soled shoes. She is sitting inside a Sleaa fighter which is in the shape of a baseball cap with a lone jet thruster-the jet thruster is on its undercarriage and can tilt in any direction and slice space-time. It also has Ikoot blasters that fire laser pulses with high tension wire inside that can attach to a person's ship. It can send waves of electric current through their ship and destroy their communications and render their weapons useless. They also have Goome bombs which would attach to a foe's ship, then explode, and cover it in a purple ooze that would then implode on top of them. The Goome bombs ended battles real quick and Dramkick loved them. The shell of the Sleaa is dark blue and has 4 bright yellow lights in the front and back. It also has a pair of 6 sided star shaped windows on forward and aft. The Sleaas are one person ships that are only the size of a small truck, but extremely fast. Inside the ship there is only a pilot's chair-that can rotate back for sleep-and a control stick surrounded by holograms showing every aircraft within 10 miles.
"We're being hailed, Vield, I can't take you'll have to," Poeragard said quickly as he looked at Vield for approval.
"Remain calm, I can handle it, Poeragard. This ship has all the necessary zone clearances in case they get frisky," Vield said sternly as he moved his lips closer to the cockpit communicator and then spoke into it, "Hello there, nice to see someone out this far. Can we help you with anything?"
"Nothing serious, hi my name is Lianis and we're scanning the region for a pair of fugitives. Is it just you uh-" Lianis started to ask before being cut off.
"Corto, yes I am alone," Vield replied hollowly as his eyes grew wide. "You're welcome to come aboard for a drink and some dinner if you'd like, Beautiful," Vield's voice ebbed and flowed with nervousness. He looked at Poeragard coldly and held his forearm tightly.
"That sounds entertaining maybe some other time though. If you run across any of these men," Lianis said as she uploaded holograms of all the Benbres-including Vield and Poeragard. And then she said brightly, "Then send me a priority channel message on the Alvo wavelength okay."
"Absolutely, I will not hesitate. What did these scoundrels do if you don't mind me asking?" Vield asked hollowly as he shot a glance to Poeragard.
"Well I'm not supposed to divulge that information. Let's just say that they were involved in a series of child murders and what they did, was disgusting and truly unspeakable," Lianis said hollowly has she rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh while looking at the other Vor Me pilots.
"Those monsters!" Vield answered quickly. "I hope to God you catch them and that death is the least of their worries! No child should ever be harmed or have their innocence taken away. Trust me, Lianis, if I see any of these scumbags I will stop everything and contact you immediately," Vield said fiercely as he looked at a wide eyed Poeragard and slowly took a sip from his Toffy.
"Thank you, Corto, we're just trying to help keep the children safe. And if you do help in their capture there is a sizable reward, so keep that in mind. Bye for now, Corto," Lianis said as she smiled and shook her head as she sped away from the Brainbere.
"Bye, Beautiful," Vield said and then he let out a sigh and sat as far back in his chair as it would go.
"That was too close, Vield, yes we were careful though," Poeragard said as he watched the Sleaa fighters fly away.
"It wasn't as close as you think," Vield spoke softer now as he felt around his chest. "A woman like that is easily deceived she's just too trusting. The good news is we won't see another one of Dramkick's errand boys for the rest of our trip," Vield said with a wry smile that failed to put Poeragard at ease.
Inside the Sleaa fighter Lianis turned on her hologram communicator and spoke, "I have a positive voice identification on Vield and I am tracking him from an untraceable distance as was the directive."
"Are you positive it was him?" Dispatch Officer Braggs asked as he typed Lianis' coordinates from inside Debrist Monroe.
"100% identification of all 5 points of his speech patterns were spiked on the computer. He seemed to be in good spirits as well. Am I required to engage and apprehend?" Lianis asked as she looked at the hologram of Braggs.
"Negative on that, do not engage," Officer Braggs ordered sharply. "Keep a safe distance from his vessel and follow him until he reaches his destination. Dramkick wants them all, he thinks their taking different routes to the same place," Officer Braggs gave her brisk orders as a map of the solar system appeared to his right.
"Affirmative, we will see where they've decided to spend some R&R Lianis out."
Osot Braggs-descendent of Ramkill Braggs an ancient serial killer-stands 5'10" tall and weighs all of 200 pounds. His hair is thick brown, greasy, and shaved on the left side of his head. He has a large handsome nose and large round lips. His face is boyish and he has low cheekbones with puffy cheeks like a kid from a comic book. He has the word Ruckin tattooed under his left eye. Ruckin is a form of fight to the death hand to hand combat. It involves 2 martial arts Masters locked in a large room until only one is left alive. If you are successful you’re given the tattoo of a lifetime membership in the O8 society-which gives each member use of over 1000 lavish homes and every kind of sport vehicle imaginable. You were also given all of their life, as you took all of their possessions. This included: his wealth, homes, friendships, lovers, and any and all offspring if you desired-the summation of the person was yours for the keeping. He has large powerful shoulders like a rhino and wide hands and feet like a star football player. On his neck, just below the ear, is a slow dissolving Praem patch attached to a gold necklace with the inscription, "Death is life." He's wearing a black long sleeved sweater, black dress pants with red pinstripes, and a pair of black sneakers with black soles and the see through tinted toes on each side.
Osot stood up quickly and grabbed a square communicator device-it was the size of a matchbook-off the wall and spoke into it, "We've got Vield and are following at a safe distance. They are unaware and have been unprovoked, Quadromolan."
The small room he was sitting in was 8' x 8' and had only an egg shaped white chair, a computer Consol on a small black table, and a pair of shelves with 3 dozen communicator devices that have direct links to all of the high ranking officials-they are an array of different vibrant colors with the official's crest on each. The walls are covered in a paint known as Plaba-that acts as a pliable television screen and can be set to different environments. The floor is covered in one large area rug that has word Quadromolan sewn into it.
"Vield, the ultimate prize," Dramkick said greedily as he tapped his index fingers together. "Where there's Vield there is always darling Poeragard close behind. This a fine day, Osot, fine day indeed," Dramkick remarked greedily as his fingers violently played a piano that wasn't there. "Contact me immediately when they land. I'll need to ask them about their adventures together," Dramkick said brightly as he lay in his bedroom.
"Without a second’s hesitation, Quadromolan, it will be done," Osot said quickly as he put the communicator back on the shelf.
Dramkick's bedroom is 25' x 25' with 20 foot high arching ceilings that have several Baimes paintings fashioned securely to them. The walls are burgundy in color and entirely bare. There is a large brown mahogany bed that fills two thirds of the room with a small maple nightstand beside it. There are several empty Praem tubes littered about the nightstand and the floor beside it. There is a pair of windows beside the bed that open into a complete replica of the countryside-including a fake sunrise and sunset. Dramkick has a cushy blue blanket and a pair of white pillows.
Bree lay in bed staring at Dramkick and then asked, "Poor Vield and poorer Poeragard, will they live much longer or is it their last breaths?"
"I haven't decided it will depend on how effectively they grovel, and how terrible their secrets are. It is their running that worries me," Dramkick said as he ran his fingers through Bree's hair.
"They were scared of your wrath," Bree said softly as she rubbed Dramkick's muscles. "Poor Poeragard he couldn't hurt a fly. And Vield has been your closest friend for over 20 years. Whatever their secrets are just give them a little leeway, Dramkick," Bree begged as she kissed Dramkick's chest and rubbed his shoulder.
Dramkick looked at Bree warmly and said, "I will try to be forgiving with them, Bree. My fear is that their sins may be unforgivable. If only I could trust them like I trust you."
"Thank you for that, Dramkick, at least there's still us," Bree said warmly as she rested her head on Dramkick's shoulder.
"Thanks for that indeed he ha," Dramkick said sternly as he stared at the painting on the ceiling.
He thought about how much he loved Bree and how happy he was that he had gotten back together with her. His thoughts soon turned to Vield and Poeragard. He started wondering if he could let them live. His gut told him no, not this time, but he valued their friendships. The more he thought the closer to sleep he came until it grabbed him tightly.
Dramkick dreamt of a lush green world of which he had never seen before. He found himself being worshiped by the inhabitants and having all his whims and wants taken care of. As he lay on the beach, lakeside in a small cove, he saw the lake suddenly drain itself. It revealed a long stone passageway that went deep into the ground. Soon he came to a torch lit room with 8 statues of the late great Cra family arranged in a circle.
The Cra family were a family of theorists and mathematicians who laid the groundwork for virtually every important technological discovery over the last 2,000 years. The eldest boy, Pitro, came up with the pushy numbers theory-that stated there is no number given value by man that can't be gotten to in one mathematical step. Dab the oldest girl, and 3rd from the top, theorized that rational thoughts exist in one dimension while the irrational ran the gamut of all 12. It was believed that the Cra family's gene pool would eventually bear fruit again, but no descendent of the original 8 in the last hundred years had amounted to very much of anything.
Dramkick walked up to the first statue of Pitro and read the inscription, "There is a Cra hybrid Dramkick. And you must find him and rule the universe together. Start your search with Doga, he will have a clue."
When Dramkick awoke in the morning his memory of the dream was extremely vivid. He actually felt he'd traveled a great distance as his body was sore. He didn't speak of it to Bree, but it was omnipresent in his mind.