Chapter 1: Lost Love
Riki couldn't make sense of what he had just witnessed. His mind could hardly wrap his mind around what was happening.
His ears were ringing and blood was pouring out over his right eye. As he yelled out a name, there was no one to answer his call.
Iason was gone.
Riki was being held against the bulkhead by a Bio-Droid, each one programmed to protect the life of the person assigned to it. He had been assigned two Class-A Bio-Droids at Iason's request, but only one was close enough to Riki at the time of the attack. The Bio-Droid suddenly came up to him, gripping him by the arm and pulling him towards the bulkhead securing itself to the wall.
"Sir Riki, you are in immediate danger. Please remain here until help arrives," droned the Bio-Droid, moments before it was damaged during the attack that ensued.
The alarms had triggered the emergency shields to close down the hatches that were venting the oxygen from the ship. Once the emergency shields were deployed, Riki managed to squeeze himself from under the Bio-Droid and ran down the corridor, blood dripping down his face. His ears were still ringing terribly. The other passengers and crew ran from one deck to another, trying to find the emergency pods to escape the ship, which was moments away from crashing into the space station that was in orbit around Aristia.
No one cared about the frightened little Pet that had become separated from his Master.
His Master had just vanished from the corridor not ten feet in front of him. Riki had just bent down to retrieve the box containing the Meditation Spheres Iason had given him a few years ago. The gift -his first that anyone had ever given him- had dropped from his coat pocket to the deck and one of the spheres had rolled away.
He had just caught the ball when the ship was rocked by an explosion that sent Riki flying to the far right, hitting his head on the bulkhead. Within moments, one of his assigned Bio-Droids made his way to his location and immediately took a defensive stance over Riki by securing itself to the wall. His head was throbbing and his vision was blurry, but he managed to get back on his feet, fear gripping his heart. He could not see Iason or Katze, Odi or Ayuda, or anyone else he recognized.
It was a nightmare; smoke and debris littered the corridor and everywhere he looked he saw the bodies of the injured and the dead. Their screams and moans were surreal, and Riki stood cemented to the deck, unable to move. A second explosion had jarred him back to the reality of the situation: the ship was going down. He managed to squeeze out from the grip of his Bio-Droid, which had become inactive after taking the brunt of flying debris that would have certainly injured Riki far more than he already was.
Without Iason at his side, he was lost. The poor little Pet, who had already been nervous about the flight, having never been on a ship, let alone in space, was horribly frightened by all of the confusion. He looked down at his chains, remembering that he had badgered Iason to no end to be let loose while on board. Iason, finally giving in, had unchained him from his wrist cuff, much to Riki's relief.
"There, now be a good Pet and don't get into any trouble," Iason whispered to a grinning Riki.
"I'll love you forever!" Riki said as he stood on his toes to give Iason a kiss on the cheek before scurrying away to find Katze. He was desperate to have a smoke since Iason had forbidden that luxury while chained to him.
But he never reached Katze.
Now those despised symbols of his subjugation to a Blondie, that kept him tethered to Iason's side, were all he had of his Blondie Master. Iason was nowhere to be seen. As panic set in, Riki ran back and forth in the same corridor searching among the injured lying on the deck for Iason, though he did not see his Master.
Near a portal he spotted Katze. He was beneath his Bio-Droid that had attached itself to the bulkhead in similar fashion as the one that had pinned Riki moments earlier. Katze was injured; his right leg had a piece of metal sticking out of it and he was bleeding badly.
Riki ran to him. "Katze! Katze! Have you seen Iason? I can't find him anywhere. He was just in front of me then he was gone! Katze! Are you listening?"
Katze, still in shock, stared Riki in the face as if he didn't recognize him. Then when the fog began to clear in his head, he responded to Riki's panicked expression.
"I don't know what happened. We were all walking down the corridor, and then this explosion rocked the ship and we all flew against the bulkhead."
Katze was in so much pain, his body felt like it was on fire, and everywhere there was blood. He was feeling terribly lightheaded and just wanted to close his eyes and pretend all of this was just a horrible nightmare.
Riki managed to detach the damaged Bio-Droid from the bulkhead, and off of Katze. He shook Katze back to reality. "Katze! Stay with me, what happened to everyone?"
Katze was having trouble breathing, but he spoke again anyway. "One of the hatches in front of us blew open and I heard laser fire. Odi pushed Iason to the floor and Ayuda shot back, but it all happened so fast! Odi was overpowered by a group of men and struggled to defend Iason. He was fighting with this big Bio-Droid, then there was another explosion, and they were all sucked out! Iason was gone Riki! I don't know what happened next, I passed out I guess, and when I woke up you were yelling my name..." Katze closed his eyes as the image of Iason being sucked out of the corridor played over and over in his head.
Riki was beside himself with anxiety and grief. He couldn't believe Iason was gone. It was all too much. "Iason…gone? I don't believe you! No! Th…that can't be…"
Tears began to roll down his face and he crumbled to the floor next to Katze. He stared at the torn hatch now secured by the emergency shields. He did not see Odi or Ayuda, no one from their party except Katze who lay bleeding next to him. He ripped a strip off his shirt and tied it around Katze's leg to stop some of the bleeding, but Katze had lost a lot of blood and kept losing consciousness.
Riki then heard medical personnel enter the corridor looking for survivors. He ran to a group of medics who were examining a fallen Blondie.
"My friend Katze needs medical attention, can you help him?"
He was ignored by all of them. Of course, being a Pet, no one cared what his needs were, since their only concern was to help the fallen dignitaries and Blondies, though except for the obvious hair color, most victims looked the same: bleeding smoldering lumps of flesh and blood.
Riki followed one medic relentlessly, getting pissed off as he continued to be ignored. Again he interrupted the medic, this time tugging at his sleeve.
"You need to help Katze, he's bleeding badly!"
The medic, annoyed by Riki's persistence, swiped his hand away.
"Pet! Step away and don't bother me!" Giving Riki a slight shove, he walked away.
Riki was furious, never dreaming he would say what he was about to say.
"My Master will have your ass fired if he finds out you did not attend to his Assistant as he lay bleeding to death!"
Then Riki, in uncharacteristic boldness, stood tall, proud even, and showed him his gold-plated Pet chains engraved with the initials IM.
The medic scanned Riki's retina to confirm he was indeed the Pet of Iason Mink. The medic quickly changed his attitude to one of respect.
"I – I see, yes, Sir Riki, yes right away."
He followed Riki to where Katze was propped up against the bulkhead. The medic quickly assessed him and called for more assistance. Katze had pieces of shrapnel in several places, he was in bad shape.
"Katze, I brought help, hang in there OK? Don't close your eyes, stay with me." Riki spoke, kneeling next to him and brushing Katze's hair away from his face.
Katze was immediately transported off the passenger ship to a rescue shuttle. And not a moment too soon, for as soon as the rescue shuttle began its flight to Aristia, the ship slowly plowed into the space dock and blow up.
Riki watched the disaster in silence. It was one of the most horrific sights that he had ever witnessed. He placed his head in his hands and cried. The fate of Iason was unknown; his heart was heavy with sadness at the thought of what his life would be like without his beloved Blondie Master.
Riki and Katze were taken, along with hundreds of injured passengers, many in critical condition, to the main Aristian Medical Facility located on Isle de Dio, which was the largest island and the Capital of Aristia, so named after the Aristian deity Armah. The island was absolutely beautiful, with lush green gardens and elegant architecture. The Royal Estate could be seen from every point on the island. The sea breeze was scented with spice and flora giving the island a sensual exotic appeal to the senses.
On most occasions, one would be mesmerized with the beauty of the island, but this was not one of them. Riki sat in the waiting room worrying for his fallen friend, but most importantly, worrying himself sick about Iason. Was he dead? If not, who took him and why? He was hoping for someone to come to him with any information, but again, being a Pet, no one really cared.
He spent the day watching the medical personnel run from one end of the facility with injured passengers, and innocent citizens of Aristia, who also suffered great injuries when the ship and the space station came raining down over them.
Katze needed surgery to remove shrapnel that found its way to just about every part of his body. It would be several hours before Riki would hear any news as to his condition. He sat quietly in his chair; his head ached and his ears were still ringing. He had suffered a minor concussion. His wounds had been bandaged, cuts and bruises mostly.
He was alone. He squeezed his eyes shut, holding back tears. Alone with only his little box of Aristian Meditation Spheres. He took out one of the finely crafted balls, brought it to his ear and shook it slowly to hear the little chime.
They were a gift from Iason, a token of his affection for a whipping that had gone terribly wrong. He thought of how sad Iason had been as he sat next to him kissing his forehead while the antidote coursed through his body to counteract the poison inflicted by the C-20 Spider, a whip used only for terminating the life of a Pet. A careless mistake by his Master when he failed to check the number level of the whip, one that Iason truly regretted.
By now, Riki sat alone in the waiting room. He had been separated from most of the injured, as he was the property of Iason Mink, the Head of the Syndicate. Extra care was now being taken of the Blondie's Pet and his fallen Assistant. Iason was greatly admired in Aristia, hailed as one of its most beloved visiting dignitaries. Iason was admired here as much as on Amoi, for his generous contributions to the Fine Arts and his love of fine wines.
He was revered as one of Aristia's own so much so that his Estate was a gift by the people of Aristia, almost as if he were a prince belonging to the Royal family- a lost son. So Riki was being watched carefully, although Iason was not immediately found. The investigation did, however, lead authorities to believe it was a terror attack targeting Lord Mink and his party.
Riki had never felt so alone. His head ached, Iason was gone, and he was a long way from home. It had been several hours since Katze was taken in for surgery. His one connection to his private world was fighting for his own life at the moment, and he had yet to know the fate of anyone else.
Riki sat watching the video screen as the news coverage continued to show the Ios crashing into the space station, sending debris into the atmosphere that lit up the sky like a meteor shower. He closed his eyes when he thought about his last conversation with Iason. They had been traveling for about three weeks now, and were actually ahead of schedule.
The night before...
They were to reach Aristia by morning and Riki was relieved to finally get off the ship, having endured the countless interruptions during their trip, as Iason's time was in constant demand. This led to several arguments mostly about Riki being led in chains wherever they went.
On their final evening, Iason was to dine with Lord Bastian, a Dignitary from Alpha Zen. An insufferable man whose callous reputation for the trade of Advance Technology was tolerated if only for his ability to procure the latest in security devices. Iason was not looking forward to dining with him, and put off his invitations to dine until the very last day, hoping something would come up and he would cancel.
He was not unattractive, but his constant leering made Iason uncomfortable, reminding him of Commander Voshka Khosi, with his long dark flowing hair and masculine physique. Lord Bastian had mentioned the Commander on several occasions, leading Iason to believe he associated with the Commander on a regular basis.
Riki had noted these exchanges whenever they crossed paths in the weeks prior, as the man was always fawning over Iason and even dared to take a lock of Iason's hair in his hand, to compliment its beautiful color, comparing it to the sun in strength- yet gentle- in warmth. This was a move that Ayuda and Odi did not approve of as they stepped forward, giving Lord Bastian a warning look.
Prior to meeting Lord Bastian for dinner that evening, Iason and Riki had argued about Riki being led in chains to the dining hall.
"Can't you give me a break Iason? I'm sick of those perverted snobs groping me all the time, as if I'm some kind of animal they can pet. Can I just stay here instead? I mean what's his deal anyways? Does he want to fuck you or what?"
Iason, who was equally dreading dining with the man, knew that to cancel now would be bad form, and would also cause him problems as both of them would be attending the Trade Convention.
He would have to go, even though he would have rather watched paint dry than be locked into idle chatter with that man.
"Riki, I assure you I have no interest in Lord Bastian. This is only business." Riki was not convinced and continued to sulk.
By the time they left their suite, they hardly had spoken a word to each other. As they walked to the elevators, Iason pulled on his chain, bringing Riki close to him as he whispered.
"You will mind me tonight Pet. Let me remind you that we will be dining with Lord Bastian, and members of his committee. You know that I will not hesitate to discipline you in public, should you decide to cause a scene, so now you have been warned."
Riki turned his face away from Iason, feeling put out by the Blondie, who had loved him so tenderly a few hours ago, but was now in full Master mode. After all the intimacy they have shared, he still had a problem with the two faces of their relationship. Iason's public persona was still a dividing factor in their otherwise intense sexual dynamic. Riki felt he was never on equal footing with his Blondie lover, even when Iason insisted they loved each other equally in the privacy of the bedroom.
"Did you hear me Riki?"
Riki looked Iason in the eyes "Alright already, I get it!"
Ayuda and Odi sighed as they listened to the lover's spat between the two, hoping this was not going to be a long night. Iason stopped the elevator with a push of a button.
"It seems you are going to be difficult tonight Pet, perhaps we should return to the suite, so I can make myself more clear to you in a language you understand better?"
Iason gave a meaningful tap to the taming stick attached to his belt. Riki, now clearly pissed, turned away from Iason.
"Whatever, you'll get your way anyways, so it doesn't matter what I want."
As Iason was about reply, the elevator speaker came on. "Lord Mink, do you need assistance?"
Ayuda turned to Iason, awaiting a response, Iason shook his head and Ayuda answered into the com-line "Negative, we are continuing down to the lobby, stand by."
Iason looked at Riki giving him a pointed look. Riki changed his expression for the sole reason that he was really hungry, and actually wanted to keep an eye this Lord Bastian. He thought of the upcoming Trade Convention, and wondered if the whole trip was going to be like this. The thought made him sad.
Iason glanced over, noticing Riki's changed expression. Riki looked down at his chains, feeling that by now, wearing his hated chains in public was never going to change, as long as he was a Pet.
When they reached their floor, they exited the elevator, and headed towards the dining hall, where they could hear the chatter that filled the room. Iason stopped suddenly and turned around, taking Riki aside by the arm, which made him panic.
"What? I'm behaving!"
He looked a bit frightened as Iason towered over him. Then his Master took his hands and suddenly released him from his chains. Riki looked up at Iason with a slight smile, conveying his relief. Iason ran his gloved hand through Riki's hair and returned the smile as Riki kissed his cheek.
They walked down the corridor leading to the dining hall when Riki decided he would have a smoke with Katze before joining Iason at the table. It was then that he dropped one of his meditation spheres and cursed out loud as it rolled away. Moments later, the ship was attacked, separating Master from Pet.
Riki's eyes filled with tears. His chest felt tight with anxiety, and also with much sadness when he thought of Iason being hurt and taken away. He touched the bandage on his head, which still ached. The nurse who had treated him noticed him quietly crying, and approached him.
"Sir Riki? Would you like something to drink?" She gave him a comforting smile. "Your friend will be all right, he is strong. Katze, wasn't it?"
Riki nodded sadly, "Yeah, he's a tough one."
"You've not eaten since your arrival, would you like something to eat? You should keep your strength up."
Riki gave her a weak smile, "No thanks." And then whispered, "um…miss?"
"Selene. My name is Selene, Sir Riki." She smiled.
"Thank you Selene, but please call me Riki." Riki reached up again and touched his forehead.
"Very well. Are you in pain? Here, let me get you something for that."
She returned to her station, leaving Riki for a moment. Selene had been watching Riki since he first arrived. She was fascinated with Riki's looks, like everyone else upon seeing his dark hair and eyes. "Lord Mink's Pet Riki" she thought as she returned with pain medication.
"Here Sir Riki, take this, it should help you relax a bit." Riki swallowed the pill, then asked the question that he needed and dreaded, the answer to.
"Have you heard anything about Ia…I mean my Master- Lord Mink? Have they found him?" His voice was desperate as he looked at Selene with hope and fear.
"No, I'm sorry, I've heard no word, but there were many injured, and quite a number were taken to other medical facilities…"
Riki's eyes were now searching. "Perhaps he was taken somewhere else, maybe he's like Katze in surgery or something… maybe…"
Selene, guessing his thoughts, spoke. "Riki, I'm sure he's fine, there were just so many…it's too soon to give up."
At that moment, Riki heard a familiar voice echoing down the hall. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was Odi! Riki leaped up and began to rush towards him, then his mind began to swoon and he began to fall. Odi stepped forward, quickly catching Riki as he fell.
"Easy there Riki. I've got you." Odi held Riki and slowly sat him down again in his chair. Nurse Selene brought him some water.
"Riki, drink this slowly. You must be careful; you have quite a bump on your head."
Riki was confused, Odi was supposed to be with Iason, so where was Iason? He looked at Odi, who had been injured also. His arm was bandaged and there where cuts and bruises all over his face. Nurse Selene noticed his arm had begun to bleed again, probably from Riki gripping him tightly as he fell.
"Let me change your bandage, it will only take a moment." Odi gave Selene a nod as she went to retrieve a first-aid kit.
"Odi, where's Iason? He was with you wasn't he?" Riki was trembling. "I tried looking for him, we were separated for a moment, then the ship was attacked and I found Katze. He's hurt bad and was in surgery for so long."
Odi frowned. "Riki, I don't know where anyone is except for Daryl and Toma; they're on the third floor. That's where they took all the Attendants and Pets. Iason was between Ayuda and me, then the hatch in front of us blew off, and there was this bright light. I pushed Iason down, but I was pulled off and beaten by someone with tremendous strength. I'm sure it was a Class-C Bio-Droid. They were mostly used for commando missions by the Elite Guard, in the early days of Jupiter's rise to power.
"Ayuda and Iason were shot with tranquilizers and taken, but it was pretty sloppy; the hole they made caused the escaping oxygen to pull us towards the exits. If it wasn't for the emergency shields, I would have been sucked out into space."
Riki looked on as Odi recalled being knocked out by flying debris and losing consciousness. "I awoke just a while ago. I was at a different facility when I was identified as Lord Mink's bodyguard and brought here, hoping to find Iason."
Riki felt a tightness in his chest. So Iason was taken, his greatest fear had come to be, and now he didn't know what was to become of him.