Title: Yeah, I'm Like, Totally Surprised and Stuff
APPARENTLY, ASIDE FROM SOLDIERS AND SPIES, Strad'ail'leevis had infiltrators - chameleonic ones.
They'd managed 'Morning's Bounty' - Strad'ail'leevis' prison world - without incident. On an Ashkelon ship, surrounded by Constables, it looked legit.
As they passed through its outer security and entered the atmosphere, surrounded by Strad'ail'leevis' heavily armed escort ships, Veh'trah, a V'rahn sent with Crichton suddenly morphed into someone else and tossed a small spike into the floor of the ship, which had sparked and then lashed at the Constables, instantly killing them.
The ship was then grappled and subsequently boarded by Strad'ail'leevis's own Pacifiers - Enforcers he called them and was quickly in control.
Crichton in the Command had simply reached forward as Veh'trah had 'morphed' and pressed a single button, then put his hands up as he was relived of his weapons.
The ship was taken to land in the heart of the prison and Crichton was swiftly marched out.
Veh'trah halted and demanded with consternation,
"Where are his companions? Find them immediately!"
"How'd you do that, anyway?" Crichton asked the servitor. "You were a guy when you got on the ship. Where'd you hide those?" He gestured to Veh'trah's chest.
"You will not distract me." She said pointedly, glaring at the ship.
"Shit… just wonderin'. Helluva job." He leered, squinted and made to lean forward. "Are they real or just something you stuffed in there…" Veh'trah abruptly cuffed him. He smirked wider, his face stinging. She'd not looked at him.
"Be silent."
Crichton shrugged and stuck his hands in his now-empty pockets.
A quarter arn later, an Enforcer marched back out the ship.
"No others present."
"He had two companions! An Interion male and Sebacean female! Find them!"
"Calm down," Crichton told her laconically, "you sure you didn't hallucinate 'em or something? I don't remember anybody else."
Veh'trah snatched a shock-rod from the nearest Enforcer and levelled it at him.
"Be silent!"
Crichton held up his hands defensively and just muttered, "okay, okay…!"
"Put him in a cell until the Master calls." She ordered.
The Enforcers shoved him forward and Crichton thrust his hands back into his pockets and walked on. The cell they pushed him into was a barren thing, reminding him of Alcatraz back on Earth, though everything seemed coated in dark porcelain here. The door slammed shut and Crichton huffed out a breath. A chair, a small table, a bed, a sink and something he assumed was a universal toilet, basically a hole in the floor with a raised lip.
Crichton did the only thing he could at that point.
He sat in the chair and put his feet up and relaxed.
IN HIS COMMAND TOWER, Strad'ail'leevis himself looked at the at-ease Human and frowned.
This was the best D'Strand'm'tah could manage? Did he think to mock him? He decided to increase the jeopardy for his insulting brother. He shortened the time by a whole solar day.
How was that for the insult?
Strad'ail'leevis turned to his V'rahn, Stralh.
"Bring me Veh'trah for her report!"
"Lord! At once!" Stralh marched out with alacrity. In moments, Veh'trah stood before the Warlord.
"You have done well," Strad'ail'leevis told her, "you may service me this night."
"An inestimable honour, Lord." She replied dryly.
The V'rahn were all render-cloned, manufactured beings grown from cells of the long dead originals they resembled, ancient and legendarily loyal servitors, complete in every way, sterile and utterly loyal to the Warlord who created them. There were fifty kinds - series of them really, all grown from ancient stock and modified over the millennia. The Warlord snorted in derision, knowing she had neither enthusiasm or disgust for him, capable only of mindless obedience. If he ordered her to leap from his tower to her death, she would would do it without a blink or hesitation.
The V'rahn bored him near to death and he loved tormenting them, just to watch them do it.
"My Lord," Veh'trah continued, "Crichton had two companions however they cannot be found. The Enforcers are scouring the surrounding countryside and I have the ship being scanned to its molecular structure."
"You are vigilant and professional, Veh'trah," he told her with a disdainful smirk. "I don't like that uniform. Remove it."
Without hesitation, she did so.
"Your underclothes as well. They disturb my harmony."
"Yes, Lord."
In short order she stood stiffly nude before him.
"You'll do anything I say, won't you?" He grasped her chin and forced her head up. "Mindless thing, aren't you? I could build robots with more passion in them, couldn't I?"
"Yes, Lord."
He felt a surge of irrational hate flow through him for the thing. He glanced at Stralh who stood waiting, face impassive.
"Go to the fourth wing immediately. There you will isolate the first block, close it off. You will go there, as you are and then you will open the doors to all the cells in that block. You will not resist in any way."
"Yes, Lord."
She bowed, pivoted on her heel and marched out. Mindless thing, he seethed, you deserve what you'll get!
"Stralh!"
"Yes, Lord!"
"Record everything that happens to Veh'trah. All of it."
Stralh nodded. He knew she would have a very, very bad end.
"Yes, Lord."
"Take over the search for Crichton's supposed companions. Be thorough."
Stralh bowed, turned and quickly left.
Strad'ail'leevis called up the camera feed in Crichton's cell.
What to do with you, eh? I should have you stripped and put on display, send it all to my brother to remind him of his sad failure. Then sell you to the Peacekeepers. They would pay much for you, would they not? Quite a lot, I think.
He was interrupted by another of his V'rahn, who cut in on the monitors. Vost'al, this model.
"Milord, I must report."
"Proceed."
"Several of your guard have been found dead in Nine Sector."
"Cause?"
"Unknown at this time. I would like to recommend a level one security alert."
"No, that's unnecessary. Investigate and report. The rabble may be up tonight."
The V'rahn nodded and the screen switched back to its normal view. Strad'ail'leevis switched his cameras around and found himself drawn to watch Rial. She was astonishingly lovely. He would keep her, he decided. She would be persuaded eventually. When he tired of her… well, she had daughters three, all yet to ripen. He could enjoy himself for some time.
Just for amusement, he went to his console and told his Stralh to shorten the time again, leaving D'Strand'm'tah only a single day to respond.
Strad'ail'leevis laughed and settled in to watch Rial and her daughters.
Such delicious futures for all of us, he exulted. Only one day to go…
