Chapter Six
Blinking I opened my eyes. The bed was warm, but empty somehow.
Slowly I sat up and swung my feet to the floor. I felt like a new man and yet the ache of my injuries remained.
She wasn’t here, but I smelled her all about me. The door opened and a blonde walked in with a platter of food along with an engaging smile.
Cringing, I asked, as I pointed toward her eye, “Did I do that?”
“Not directly, but you sort of helped it happen.”
“I’m sorry!” I said.
“Now there’s no needing to be apologizing Marshal. You were only defending yourself and my can you do that well! You laid out over half the crew all by your lonesome. Here, I thought you might like a bite to eat.” She finished with, as she set the tray of food down beside me on the bed.
She laughed and I looked up surprised. She gestured to my face and said, “You look like you’ve never seen food before.”
“It’s been scarce lately.” I admitted.
“Well be a big boy and eat it all gone Marshal.” She said, as she then turned to leave through the door just as Zayri entered the room. The two women shared a smile and then the blonde disappeared.
It hurt to look at Zayri and so I turned to the food beside me and occupied myself by filling myself full of it.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zayri pick a chair up and place it rather closely in front of me. She straddled it and folding her arms over the back of the chair she rested her chin on them as she watched me eat.
She was way too close!
Trying my best I sought to come up with some conversation to break the silence of the room.
“Why do you all keep calling me the Marshal? It’s an Earth term. I’ve never asked to be called by it while I’ve been away from Earth, but it seems like a hard title to escape.”
“So is being a thief. Tell me Marshal do you think people can change?”
I looked up to her and gazed into her eyes. All I saw was trouble dancing in the blue depths of her eyes as she stared in rapt focus at me.
“The name is Taran and yes I believe people can change.”
“Okay then, Taran,” she affirmed dramatically with a smile before adding, “What can I do for you?”
I looked back down to the food feeling the need to very much escape from her. I tried to think, but all that seemed to register was how beautiful she was.
Something was wrong.
I was supposed to be having a hard time to convince her to do something noble, but instead it sounded and looked as if she wanted to do anything I asked of her.
“Do you have anything else you could wear?” I asked huskily.
“Of course I do. I’m a woman aren’t I?”
Nodding my head still staring at the half eaten food beside me I said, “Yes you very much are. Zayri I find you very desirable and I can’t think with you right there.” I said gesturing to her very exposed chest before me and with a soft laugh she stood up and turned away.
My eyes swung to her and I watched her move away. The tight leather pants she wore hugged every curve of her rear. What was wrong with me?
I was in lust, that was what was wrong with me. Incredibly then I saw her take her top off and in shock I looked at her bare back.
“What are you doing?” I asked thickly.
She glanced over one bare shoulder, “Giving you a less tempting view Taran.”
She pulled something white from a drawer and put it on and then slipped on a silky looking blouse. She bent forward slightly to fluff at her hair as she looked in the mirror and then she turned grandly back to me, “How’s this?” She asked dramatically.
The view of open cleavage was gone, but the effect of her was unabated in terms of raw appeal.
“It’s better.” I said.
She came back and turning the chair around she sat down rather primly upon it. I still couldn’t think and it did no good to see how she was laughing at me with her eyes.
I was supposed to be noble and asking for help from on high I came to a thought that revolved about something else other than her, “How long have I been out?”
“About a day.”
Nodding then I suddenly remembered everything.
“Do you know the history of this planet?”
“You mean about it once being a slave world that fought and gained its freedom from its overlord masters, then yes I do.”
I looked at her again then and saw more seriousness, as well as curiosity, to be found within the depths of her eyes.
“When the planet was torn apart by the one sun being moved out of its place, some people managed to escape to Earth. I come from that bloodline of people. Some of my people that didn’t die on the planet’s surface are now being held as slaves on one of the four orbiting moons as a sort of everlasting punishment by their former masters of a millennia ago. I want to free them, but not only that. I want to restore the balance, harmony if you will, of this world. I want my people to once again be free to roam the surface of this planet. A planet no longer held locked in either ice or fire.”
Then switching tactics I said, “You seem to know a lot about me?”
She nodded and I went on, “Then you must know that I am a believer in the Creator.”
She nodded again, the curious light to her eyes growing only brighter. I looked away, “While in prayer I received instruction that the task I want to accomplish is too big for me. I need a partner and that partner is you.”
Turning her head to the side she said, “Explain.”
For fear she was taking my meaning of partner in the wrong way I hurriedly said, “Not a partner in any physical way! I meant I need your help professionally. I believe the beast men holding my people captive possess the ability or more likely a device that is causing the one sun to remain out of its proper orbit. I want you to help me steal it or perhaps damage it. I’m sorry I don’t know much more than that. It’s very vague sounding I know.”
She stood up and walked away a few paces. After a moment she turned to regard me speculatively, “I want a full pardon. Not only for me, but my whole crew here.”
I hesitated as to what to say, “I don’t have the authority to grant you a pardon.”
She started to turn away, but I held up a hand forestalling her, “But I can give you a local pardon as it were.”
“Local pardon?” She asked, turning to face me fully.
“Yes, if you and your crew help me defeat the rule of these beast men and this world is returned to harmony you and your crew are free to stay here and live in peace and freedom. But only if you stop from being thieves. You can’t continue to use this world as a base for crime. You have to leave that life behind you.”
Regarding me coolly she said, “You don’t offer us much in return for us helping you. As you can see this base is extremely hard to find and it benefits us for the planet’s climate to remain as it is.”
“I found it. So could others.” I countered with.
“Perhaps, but unlikely. We could just kill you and make it all go away.”
“Yes, you could. That’s certainly an option before you and a sensible one I might add.”
She looked at me in surprise before asking, “You think it’s sensible of us to kill you?”
“From your position, yes.” I answered honestly.
She pick something up off a table beside her. It was my gun.
“Why do you continue using this outdated Earth device instead of a rechargeable power stick?”
“It’s what I’m used to and it still works just fine in getting the job done.”
She nodded and looked at me as she held my gun poised in her hands. I wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do.
After a long moment she looked down to the gun in her hands and said, “I like you Marshal. You handle yourself well as a man. I’ve never been chased by a better hunter then you, neither have I received more mercy at the hands of another individual then you.”
She fell silent for a moment before adding, “You’re asking a lot.”
“I know.” I admitted not sure what else I could say to make the deal a better one for her.
“Zayri the life you’re leading right now doesn’t end well. Back on Earth I had my own wild fling with the law and it about killed me. In a way it did inside. If God hadn’t stepped back into my life I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Is it your God that makes you the man you are?”
“Yes.” I said firmly.
“If we do what you want and this planet is restored than what of us? We know nothing else than what we’re doing now by which to feed ourselves.”
“You asked me when you came in here if I believe a person could change and I said yes. There is more to life than stealing.”
“Yes there is.” She said softly before turning her back to me.
I steadily gazed at her back. The tension emanating off of her was tangible to be felt within the atmosphere of the room.
“You are a very honest and thoroughly honorable man aren’t you?”
“I try to be.” I answered, as I wondered at the oddity of her question.
“All my life if I wanted something I had to steal it. First it was food and then jewels and gold. I’ve never been able to steal affection though.”
I waited with bated breath for her to continue.
“Do you remember how you touched me before you fell asleep?”
“Yes.” I said thickly, as my intimate grasp of her came fully to mind.
She ducked her head down and I stared at the back of her neck wanting her to turn and face me so I could see the emotions at play on her face.
“Well Marshal I liked it. You probably think I’m a loose woman given how I dress and act, but I’m not.”
The tension seemed to double within her tensed back muscles and I did not doubt that I was hearing the complete and honest truth from her. “Go ahead Zayri. I want to hear what you have to say.”
A moment passed before she spoke in a strangled sounding tone, “The truth is that I’ve liked you for a long time. You’ve always seemed to stand for everything that I’m not and I the hunted have respected you the hunter for that. What’s more is that out of that respect I’ve also become quite infatuated with you.”
She gave off a half choked scream as angrily she said, “I shouldn’t be telling you this! I never reveal my true intentions to anyone!”
She started to walk toward the door angrily and I stood up and called out to her, “Zayri!”
She stopped.
“Go on.” I urged.
In a small voice she said then, “I’m sorry I stranded you in the desert! I didn’t want for you to die and yet I was scared and I acted rashly. I’m glad you survived the desert! I’m glad you’re here. It was my intention to agree to do whatever you asked of me so I could continue to be near you. I intended to seduce you in order to make you my lover. Like everything I’ve done in life all I would be doing is taking what’s not mine! You are a good man and you deserve better than to have been dumped in a desert that kills most that it sees. What’s more you deserve better in a woman than someone who’s very first plans for you while you slept to passed out to awaken was to seduce you into doing my bidding.”
Her voice was rich with tears now. “I’m a thief! I’ll always be a thief. It’s just what I do. I steal, whether it’s jewels or affection it doesn’t matter!”
I stepped out towards her then and she wheeled around holding my gun leveled off at my head with her finger on the trigger. She blinked her eyes free of tears as anger colored her tone, “Get out Marshal! You have my permission to leave. Tell whoever you want about this base. We’ll find a new base and leave this world for you to give to your people. You can go on being an honest upright man of faith without fear of being dragged under by a scheming woman out for her own benefit!”
Not in all my days had I imagined this confrontation with Zayri going like this. Her emotional outburst of honesty, as to her intentions towards me, far from repelling me inspired peace about the future instead.
I stepped closer and she cocked the trigger back, but I didn’t stop walking. She was showing me a very deep layer of herself and it was good.
My hand closed about the gun barrel and meeting her gaze I said, “Thank you for being honest about your intentions. Give me the gun, Zayri.”
She let go and I reclaimed it and safely un-cocked it as she stood there uncertainly.
She turned to leave the room, but my hands closed about her waist anchoring her to the spot. Stepping up behind her I said, “The funny thing about confessions is that once one has the courage to admit the truth the thing desired is often granted.”
“What?” She asked startled.
“Go sit on the bed.”
She looked at me uncertainly over one shoulder and then did as I asked. She sat there watching me curiously as to what I would do next.
Going to her dresser I idly began opening drawers and poking through their contents.
“What are you doing?” She asked uncertainly.
Looking to her I smiled, “Learning more about you. My knowledge of you is decidedly lacking.”
“Why do you want to know more about me?”
“Because I do.” I replied simply.
Opening a small wooden box I pulled a small bottle up into view and exclaimed, “Now this should be outlawed.”
“Please don’t break it!” She called out worriedly from the bed.
Turning to her bottle in hand I said, “I wouldn’t dream of it. I love the smell of this stuff on you!”
I went to her and swung the chair near the bed around as she had at first done to me and sat down straddling it. She watched me curiously not sure what to think. I doubted that it was a look ever commonly seen on her face.
Leaning my chest against the back rest of the chair I opened the little bottle between us. The smell wafted up out of the bottle aromatically and raising my eyes to hers I said, “This smells really good, but although you were to put this on it doesn’t mean that you smell really good.”
Her head tilted to the side, as a slight smile played about her full lips, “You think I stink?”
Smiling I said, “No, but lies do and although you can cover them up with something nice smelling it doesn’t change the fact that there between you being genuine versus being something artificial in appearance. Thank you for telling me the truth and not going on to seduce me to doing your will.”
She nodded and looked down at her hands clasped together in her lap. I put the lid back on the bottle and set it down carefully onto the food platter beside her.
“Now however the fact remains that you smell really good.”
She looked up and smiling into her eyes I said, “Feel free to continue seducing me Zayri.”
“I don’t understand?”
Smiling, I stood up only to sit down on the bed beside her. Reaching for my boots I pulled them on. Glancing to her I said, “I’m not going anywhere Zayri. Once my people are saved and the planet is on the road to recovery I have no intentions of leaving. I need a partner though to make all that happen and then I need someone special to enjoy it all with. Sound good to you?”
“Yes!” She said quickly, as her face reflected profound shock.
It was a real struggle not to kiss her, but I forced myself to stand and walk away. I stopped beside her dresser and pulled another article of clothing free. Tossing it to her I said, “Wear this one.”
In surprise she looked up from the cloth she held to me and said, “Won’t you find this too tempting?”
Smiling I said, “It doesn’t matter now Zayri, because there’s nothing left unseen between us. I know what you want and I want the same. I don’t have to resist you now because I know I can trust you. I’ll see you out in the bar.”
I opened the door to go and she stood up with a look of incomprehension about her as she called out, “You’re alright with me being a thief?”
“Heck no!” I said.
“Then what game are we playing?” She asked in frustration.
“You’ve given me the respect I need by being honest, now in return I’m giving you the opportunity to win me over as your future life companion.”
“But I already know you want me!”
“It appears then that it’s a stacked deck against me. Relax Zayri, this is called dating and my actions are those of an honorable man. I know that if I stayed within this room that there’s nothing that you wouldn’t hold back from me, but I respect you too much to simply use you for my own pleasure. You’re not a thief anymore to me Zayri. You’re someone to be respected and from now on that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” I closed the door and walked away.
*****
Zayri held her hands to her eyes. What had just happened?
Never had she expected herself to be so honest with someone. She’d given up everything, but lost nothing. No, in fact, she was richer for being honest!
She looked at the shirt he had tossed at her. She had his permission to stoke his desire for her. She didn’t have to steal anything, because it was all being freely given to her.
Instead of working for affection she could now enjoy the process as it came to her freely. She looked to the door as she solemnly pledged to never tell or live out a lie again. It simply wasn’t worth it. Honesty by far was more rewarding.