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Betrayal 02

By: Nightimevisions



Blackness. That's all he could sense. He? Yes, he was a He. Who was he? Was he dead? He must be. No need for a name when you are dead. Heh. Sounds like something Freddie would say. Freddie. Wait, is that who I am? A flash of color and the face a man swam before him momentarily. That was Freddie, he wasn't Freddie. Who is he? 





Faintly a voice called to him. "Mykal, c'mon man, you can do it."

Mykal? What that his name? It felt right. Yes, that was his name, Mykal. Mykal McDaniel . Captain Mykal McDaniel . I'm a Captain, Captain of what? A Mecharmor unit. Wait. They died. All of us but Freddie. At least he made it out. But if he was the only one that made it, why was he thinking about all this, he should be in the afterlife. Probably Hades after all the things he'd done. 

"Wake your stupid ass up Mykal; I know you can hear me." The voice came again.

A sudden, sharp pain lanced through the blackness. Ow! That hurt. Wait, if he was dead, how could that hurt? 

The pain lanced through him again, a familiar sting. One he would never forget. Again the searing flame, followed by another, then another, quickly followed by dozens, then hundreds. 

Synaptic connections! This was the same pain he felt after the first surgery when the military installed the system into his brain.

"Doctor, he's coming around! The synaptic connections are re-initializing." A female voice said sounding closer than Freddie's had. 

"That's it man, you can do it, wake the hell up!" Freddie said to him, closer even still.

Oh, this is going to hurt, was the last thought Mykal had before his body and mind launched into the waking world.

"Aaaaaaahhhh!" Mykal screamed as his body launched upright into waking, nerves all over his body tingling in electric fire. 

"Welcome back brother!" Freddie said, pushing his body back down to the bed, a large male nurse helping him.

"Get out of my way." A lilting voice said, as the nurse to his side was shoved out of the way and a tiny red haired woman walked up next to Mykal and plugged a connector into one of the arm ports on his right arm. "Everything seems to be booting up okay. No sign of damage or improper connections." 

"Very good Brigit, keep an eye out for any changes, no matter how small." said a deep voice from the foot of the bed. "It looks like the restored connections took, as well as the new connections, and all of them are integrating properly." 

Lifting his head slightly, the pain in his body now starting to recede, Mykal saw a dark haired older man looking down at a computer pad and occasionally glancing up at him. 

"Welcome back Mykal. I trust the pain is starting to recede?" 

Mykal nodded slightly, trying to get his dry and uncooperative throat to work out the words.

The man smiled slightly, "Nurse, get the Captain a bit of water, he's probably very parched."

Freddie snorted, "As long as he has been out cold, I wouldn't be surprised." 

A sharp look from the man at the foot of the bed, a doctor by the look of him, silenced Fred. "Yes, well, we can get into that later."

The nurse returned with a bottle of water with a straw coming out of it. "Small sips now, don't want you choking." he said quietly, while the doctor and the young woman conversed quietly over the readouts they seemed to be receiving from their two pads.

Finally able to coax wind through his throat and lips, Mykal was able to croak out, "Where are we? Did the Family make it away okay?"

"I told you he was going to ask that." Fred said under his breath. The nurse shook his head slightly and Mykal saw the redhead girl, Brigit, smirk slightly as she scrolled through more information. There was something familiar about her.

Mykal gave Fred a withering stare, waiting for an answer. 

Holding his hands up in surrender, Fred backed up a step. "Hey, I just went back and got you out of the 'Mech, the rest is up to them." Looking over at the doctor and Briget, he shrugged, "As to where we are, we're on a ship. Don't know where we're going."

Swallowing to get his throat working, he spoke quietly, "I ordered you not to turn back. You could have been killed." Fred snorted his disbelief, "Not after you got done with them." Looking over at the doctor, he asked, "So what's the damage Doc? Thought synaptic overload was fatal."

Looking up and into Mykal's eyes, the doctor nodded slightly. "Normally that would be true, but some cases can be saved; if the Synaptic Connectors are replaced with a higher grade of hardware." 

Mykal glanced over at Fred who shrugged his shoulders. "I know my clearance isn't all that high, but I thought that Mecharmor pilots had the highest grade of implants." Mykal noticed the young redhead scratching at the back of her neck while flicking her eyes over the computer pad she was reviewing. "At least, that's what we were told when it was getting put in." Fred frowned and nodded in agreement.

Without looking up from his screen, the doctor smirked, "Well, yes, it is, as far as most people are concerned." 

Mykal sighed and looked up at the ceiling, concentrating through another wave of electric fire, this one lesser than the one that woke him. As he rode through the pain, he dimly noticed that the young woman and the doctor where speaking quickly and quietly, showing each other the readings on their individual readouts. 

After the pain had passed, he took notice of the young woman, who seemed to be getting more and more agitated as they conversed. 

Finally the Doctor looked up at Mykal, "Captain, we are going to need to run some more tests, but everything seems to be working out well as far as the replacement hardware goes." Looking up at the nurse, he nodded once. "You are going to need to get some more rest before you will be ready to start your training."

Mykal glanced over at the nurse, who was fiddling with the IV drip controls. "Training? Why? I know how to use a connection." 

As he started to feel his world get fuzzy and dark, the doctor smiled softly at him. "It's not for the Synaptic Connectors. We'll go over it when you are feeling better." 

As Mykal's world faded, the last thing he saw was the young woman's piercing green eyes looking at him sadly. "We should have told him. It's not right to do this. Dad said to tell him when he woke up Uncle Jason." 

The doctor's voice was the last thing he heard. "I'll handle my brother. I've been doing it since he took..."

The words barely registered, but as darkness closed in on him, he thought, "I don't like seeing her sad; I'm sure it can't be that bad."

*********************************

"You put what in my head?!" 

"Captain, this is not as big a deal as you are making it out to be. You should be honored to have gone through this procedure." The doctor made a calming gesture with his hands, trying to get the situation under control.

"An honor? Let me see if I understand." Mykal's steel grey eyes flashed with a rage barely held in check, "You cut open my head, took a chunk of my brain out and put even more computer parts in there? Computer parts that no one else, but 'a select few' get installed?" The medical equipment keeping watch over his vital stats, started to beep louder and faster as his brain activity and heart-rate steadily cranked up to near un-safe levels. "What am I now? An experiment for you to poke and prod? Is that why only 'a select few' have this? Because you can't find many guinea pigs for you little project?" Mykal was seeing red and trembling with rage when he finally trailed off, his head throbbing from his elevated blood pressure.

"Mykal, you don't understand..." the doctor cut off as the doors to the room swished open.

"I see that your bedside manner hasn't gotten much better Jason." A strong, deep voice came from the tall, powerful looking man that walked briskly through the door. 

The doctor dropped his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath, "No, brother mine, it hasn't. It doesn't need to. The problem is that these combat pilots are so damn aggressive that they immediately see anything done to them as an attack on their person." 

Mykal's eyes were glued to the man that had just come into the room. At just a hair under 2 meters tall, with the wide shoulders, strong jaw and close cropped dark hair that women all over the galaxy swooned over, there was no mistaking who had just walked into his recovery room.

As those fierce ice-blue eyes turned from the exasperated doctor and locked onto his face, Mykal remembered himself and bowed his head, bringing his right fist as close to his chest as the connectors would allow. "Y-your Highness, you honor me with your presence. " 

His Royal Majesty, Hans Davidov IV, King of the Davidov nation and ruler of over a hundred systems smiled at the young man in the bed, "No son, it's me who is honored to be here."

With a shocked intake of breath, Mykal's head raised and he looked his king in the eyes. The older man was smiling softly, a hand resting on the doctor's shoulder. Now looking at the two of them, it was obvious that the two were closely related; so close in fact that Mykal was surprised he hadn't seen it before. He had seen this man's face almost daily since the day he began training, in the military academy that the orphanage had opted to put him into, when he was just a small boy of 6 standard years. It was a face that had changed little, but in very noticeable ways. Grey sprinkled around his temples, small creases around his eyes and on his forehead; a testament to a life of great strain and responsibility, but of happiness as well, if the laugh lines evident were any proof. 

"If not for the battle prowess of yourself and your command, there would not be a royal family right now. You saved not only me, but my wife, my youngest three children and my brother." A shadow flickered over his face so quickly, that Mykal wasn't sure that he had caught it as the king continued to speak. "I was unable to help the majority of your command, but I was more than willing to see that anything that could save you would be done. That is why you have had the upgraded hardware installed." 

"Your majesty, I just made sure that your family had the opportunity to escape, and the added bonus that Freddie got a chance to get away, but that is my job. My life for the Crown, I swore that, the day I received my commission. I don't deserve special treatment...." He was cut off as the king raised a hand.

"After I commanded Lt. Davidson to return and recover you, and you were holding on by a thread, I told my brother to save you; no matter the cost. " The King came around to stand next to the bed. Leaning forward, he whispered into Mykal's ear, "I heard what you said as you lost consciousness in your 'Mech." Standing up and putting a hand on the young man's shoulder, he said out loud, "Bravery and loyalty like that are going to be needed in the coming days, weeks and months. You have a lot of things going on with your healing and implants, but we are nearing the home system; I need you to be functional and out of this bed by then. I have much to talk to you about young man." With a final smile and a nod to his brother, the King turned and walked out of the room, striding with the bearing and grace of a man who knew he was a leader of men. 

"I'm so glad he was born first. There is no way I could pull that off." the doctor's voice cut into Mykal's thoughts as the King swept out. His guards, who had stayed outside the room, taking up their protective perimeter with such practiced skill that they seemed to sprout from the wall. 

Looking back at Mykal, the doctor smiled. "I do suppose I was never properly introduced. I am Dr. Jason Davidov, younger brother to our esteemed king, head researcher and cybernetic surgeon at the Royal Medical Institute." He picked up the data pad that hung from the foot of my bed and started going over my charts. "Now, as I was trying to say during our lively 'debate', the hardware that I installed into you is not experimental. In fact, it is the most stable and safest cybernetics suite that has ever been available. On top of that, the technology level we are talking about is leaps and bounds better than even the military has access to.

"To be honest, only eight people have technology of this level in their bodies and because of how extensive your system needed to be wired in due to being a pilot, your equipment is rivaled by only two of them."

Taking a calming breath, Mykal looked the doctor in the eye, a strange suspicion falling over him. "Who are the eight?"

The doctor smiled a little as he went back to looking over the readouts on the computer pad. "You, myself, the king, the queen and the children are the only ones currently. " He chuckled slightly, "Actually, the upgraded synaptic connections and the cerebral core I installed in you were going to Tobias Davidov's set next week, when he passed the basic pilot exam at the Academy.

At mention of the youngest Davidov, a thought struck Mykal from nowhere. "Wait, so if you are the king's brother, and you are Uncle Jason to Brigit, then she's...."

"The Royal Princess Brigit Elenor Davidov II, heir Tertiary to the Davidov throne? " Doctor Davidov nodded. "One and the same she is." 

Mykal felt a small twinge in his chest at hearing this. "Get over yourself". he thought to himself. "Even before I knew she was royalty, she was way out of my league."

"Now get some rest. You are going to have to learn how to use that hardware and you should be fine to start tomorrow."

Leaning back into the bed and trying to get comfortable, Mykal's thoughts swirled, "Why does the King want to speak with me, and why do I need to be healthy to do it? Why put such expensive equipment in my head and body?"

As sleep began to over take him, his subconscious thoughts brought to the forefront the stunning red hair and piercing blue eyes of the young lady that had enchanted him in their first meeting. Blackness stole over his waking mind with one last thought, "I wonder where she is.

*********************************

"Do it again Captain. This time don't let the controls overwhelm you." Doctor Davidov's voice came over the radio link.

"Easy for you to say," Mykal mumbled under his breath and began booting the training program back up. In a matter of moments, the electrical jolt that let him know that his Synaptic Connectors were meshed with his controls rolled over him. With a mental command, Mykal slipped his mind into the system; still a connection depth that unnerved him a bit, "Even if it's a training pod and not a real 'Mech." He thought to himself. Seeing as the giant robotic suit of armor saw, flexing alloy arms and legs and feeling the power the destructive machine had as if it was his body.

As he ran through the systems to connect to his "Lance mates", or more specifically the computers pretending to be them, Not only could he feel his own 'Mech, but now he was 'seeing' and 'hearing' what the other machines could. As the data continued to flow, increasing in volume as each machine joined the web connecting them, Mykal found it harder and harder to control his own 'Mech. As the last one joined, he took a calming breath. While trying to compartmentalize the information and keep track of all of it, he stepped forward, trying to move over the 'landscape'. As he began moving, he felt the connection to some of the nine other machines waver and flex, threatening to break. Even after two weeks of this training it wasn't getting any better. 

He brought his 'Mech to a stop and opened a com line to Doctor Davidov, "Doc, I can connect to all of them now, but as soon as I try to control my 'Mech, the connections start to collapse. My head just can't filter that much info."

"Well, that in and of itself is very impressive. Any signs of overload?" the doctor asked.

As he answered he shook his head, causing the 'Mech to shake its head. "Not at all Doc. Even when I tried walking or moving, the connection didn't feel like an overload; it just got to be too many different things for my brain to handle. " 

"You are over-thinking it." a soft voice from the control booth said. "You just shook your head and the 'Mech did the same. I'm willing to bet you didn't consciously do that." Mykal's breath caught for a moment as an unbidden image of bright blue eyes and red hair flashed in his mind.

"She's right Mykal. You are still treating the Mecharmor as a vehicle, not as a set of cloths, like you should be." The doctor added, "Once control of the other 'Mechs is tied in, you shouldn't have to concentrate on them; they will work with your subconscious. That's part of what we installed. It acts like a separate brain controlled by your brain. Let it do the work." In the control room, the doctor twitched a momentary smile as he saw Mykal's vitals spike for a moment. "You're thinking too hard. Just do what comes natural." 

Mykal took a deep breath, to calm his self and try to clear his mind, and smiled when he felt the control of the other "Mechs recede to the back of his mind, but not disconnect. The sensation was like seeing through a fly's eyes in the back of your mind. As Mykal started to go back over his controls, a warning claxon started sounding through the ship. Mykal's head snapped up as he 'saw' the wall opposite the control booth detonate into the training area. 

As Mecharmor came pouring through the breach, Mykal launched into action; his 'lance mates' moving in a coordinated defense with him. Two members of the Family were in that control booth and there was nothing that was going to harm them, so long as Mykal drew breath. 

His 'Mechs fanned out and individually moved close into melee so that their targets would be unable to fire at the control booth, thus killing his charges. As Mykal struck forward to engage what appeared to be the lead 'Mech of the attackers, his machine reflexively unsheathed the massive alloy arm blade, setting the giant serrated blade into its offensive position protruding in front of its right hand. Leading with his left hand, he swept his target's arm away from its chest and with a yell, slammed all seven feet of advanced alloy through the most likely location of his enemy's cockpit inside the massive machine, in the center of its chest. With a mighty twist, he ripped the blade outward, shearing through the side of the 'Mech. Watching it fall to the ground, he was aware of nine other battles playing out in the back of his head. Almost all of them ended in different ways, though all with the same results. He took a mental inventory; saw that two of his units were badly damaged after their combat and three had minor damage, but all of the enemies were down and the room was clear. 

"Princess, Doctor, is the control booth secure, is your security there?" he snapped over the com line.

Shocking him to his core, a hearty laugh and tinkling giggle came from the control booth. "I told you. You were over thinking it." said the soft voice of the princess.

Reality crashed in on Mykal as the training pod started to shut down and the computers that were his 'lance mates', started to shut down and disconnect from his controls. "Oh. Oh that was dirty." Mykal said softly through the com line. 

"Dirty, but effective" the doctor chuckled over the com. "It got you to not think about it. Good to know that your psych profile was accurate too." 

Mykal was shutting down the systems in the pod when that comment brought his mind to a standstill. "What was that?"

"Your yearly profile, it was completely correct."

Mykal grunted, finished shutting down the pod and climbed out, walking to the control booth. The two door guards nodded to him as they opened the door to let him through. He gave them a tight smile and a head nod as he passed them. 


Betrayal 02



The doctor and princess looked up as he came in. Mykal bowed slightly to the princess, a habit that she had told him a number of times to stop. However, regulations were adamant about proper respect and how it was shown to the various members of the Family. Looking the doctor in the eye, he bowed his head slightly. "How did this psych profile of yours tell you that scaring me out of my skin would be the best way to proceed?" 

Jason chuckled and motioned to another chair next to control console. "Sit and I'll explain." Mykal shook his head once. "I'll stand, thank you doctor." He did take a bit more of a relaxed posture, but was obviously waiting for answers.

Jason sighed lightly and picked up a tablet that was sitting on the console. Looking down, he read out loud, "It goes something like this. 'Captain Mykal McDaniel , Age 38, blah, blah, blah, Fine Mecharmor pilot, blah, blah, blah, Near spotless service record. Only blemish is a charge for assaulting a higher ranking officer, a captain when he was a fresh lieutenant, over disparaging and off color remarks about the queen and her daughters. Captain McDaniel is obsessively loyal to the royal family, to the point of fault. Has been passed over for higher command positions as he does not conform to the requirements of military objectivity. Following the direction of the King's policy and not trying to see any other options.'" The doctor looked up from the tablet, "There is more of the same, but I trust you get the gist of it." 

Mykal's jaw clenched. "How does this pertain to what happened in there?" Anger began to simmer in his steel grey eyes. The doctor nodded his head towards the princess, "That was her idea."

Forgetting proper protocol, Mykal's eyes snapped over and locked on to hers. The princess gasped slightly and flushed, looking down at her hands to break eye contact. Her voice was very soft as she spoke. "I figured with the way you reacted on Orphus III and what your profile said, if you believed that a royal was in danger, your instincts would take over; let you learn." 

Seeing her discomfort triggered something in him; his eyes softened slightly and his jaw relaxed. "While I appreciate the...ah...assistance in trying to help me learn, princess, that is not something that should ever be faked. Not with me." She looked up at him through her eyelashes and nodded slightly. 

Looking back to Jason, he snapped back to attention. "If that is all for today Majesties, I am late for a meeting in the hanger bay. " At the doctor's nod, he bowed low to both of them, turned smartly and marched back out of the control room. As the door closed behind the Captain, Brigit let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. 

"I am really glad he is on our side." Jason said, looking over at his young niece. 

She nodded slightly, "I am too." Thoughts whirled through her head regarding the man who had for all intents and purposes saved her life, on the planet they had left a little more than two months ago. "He is so loyal to our family." A tear fell from her eye, surprising both her uncle and herself. She wiped it away with one hand. "When daddy tells him what happened to the kingdom, it's going to devastate him." 

Jason smiled sadly as he reached over and patted his niece's hand. "I think he is made of stronger stuff than that." He looked at Brigit, who was deep in thought, "Yes, disturbingly strong I think."



Betrayal 03



As Mykal briskly walked down the corridors leading to the Mecharmor hangar, his mind raced. The anger over being tricked had ebbed slightly, only to be replaced with anger at his self. "Way to go Myk, confront the princess. Stare her down, that'll get you real far in life." He thought, berating himself. 

Shaking his head, Mykal walked into the vast, cavernous hold that was the Mecharmor hangar. Looking up at the massive war machines, he couldn't help but feel himself calm down. He was a soldier, and for the last 18 years the Mecharmor of the Davidov kingdom had been his primary weapon. 

Standing at an average of seven and a half meters, the giant suits of armor were some of the most advanced technology that the human race had created. Mykal walked down the gangplank that ran the length of the hangar, at cockpit level, until he reached the machine that had helped him defend the royal family. At a light weight of just over 181 tons, his lightly armored and armed scout 'Mech had seen better days. Large chunks of the machine's armor were scorched, fused or missing entirely. Looking up and down at his beloved 'Mech, he felt pride in the fact that he had been able to do so much with such a small 'Mech. 

An older man in mechanic's overalls climbed down from a scaffold, attached to the 'Mech, and walked over to Mykal. "Afternoon Captain. Came to see the old girl?"

Mykal nodded. "I may only have two machines left in my unit, but I'll be damned if I fall behind on status updates. " He looked over at the older man, a Master Chief Petty officer. "How bad is it?"

The older man scratched the back of his neck and grimaced. "Massive armor damage, we're talking 70% of the chassis. The thermal bloom from that blast you set off fused 95% of the back armor and melted about 60% of the servos in the legs, back and shoulders. Of course, the ones that didn't get melted were fried along with all your electronics when the EMP wave hit you. That wave probably saved you when your connections went into overload." 

Mykal raised an eyebrow at the senior enlisted man. "Are you hiding a doctorate in those overalls Master Chief?" The senior non-commissioned officer laughed out loud. 

"No Sir! I've seen enough Synaptic Overload in my eighty five years of service to know the signs." He looked over at the younger officer. "I was one of the ones that helped pop you out of that oversized coffin." He shook his head. "I am amazed that you pulled that off boy. I'm even more amazed that you survived and are standing here after only three weeks recovery time." 

The younger man shook his head. "No more surprised than I am. Nothing special I did though, it was all Dr. Davidov and the Lady Brigit." His chest tightened a bit when he thought about her again and the anger that he had directed towards her. Guilt was not something he was used to feeling.

The old man nodded, seeing the flicker of emotion play over the young man's face, but said nothing about it and turned his attention back to the war machine. "Well, I'm glad you were able to do what you did. Not many would have done it."

Mykal shrugged, as if there was never an option otherwise. "So how long until she's going to be operational?" he asked with a nod toward the 'Mech.

The Master Chief shook his head and sighed, "She's served her purpose, Sir." He rested a hand on the Captain's shoulder. "Sorry son, but she's fought her last battle."

Mykal sighed and nodded. "I figured as much. I guess she's destined for the scrap pile then. It's kind of a shame. She's as responsible as I am that we made it out of there."

The Master Chief shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe there is a museum or something that would want her. You're right, it doesn't seem right to scrap her."

"I appreciate it Master Chief. " Mykal turned and walked down the cat walk to the 'Mech next to his. "What about Lieutenant Davidson's 'Mech? How is she doing?" 

"Except for a couple of Grazers that were pushed way too hard, the damage is all repairable. We are going to have to completely replace those two weapons and their power runs. The armor repairs should be done before planet fall next week, but those two replacements are going to red-line her for another three weeks." He snorted in disgust, "At the very minimum, sir. To be honest, I'm kind of surprised how little damage he actually took."

Mykal pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, I wasn't doing too badly until those big bastards showed up. Freddie and his damn 'When all else fails use wild, uncontrolled bursts'." 

"Hey, I made it out didn't I?" Freddie chuckled as he walked up from behind his commander. Clapping his friend on the shoulder, he smiled, "How's the new gadgetry working out?" 

Being reminded of what he was put through just a few hours earlier, Mykal tensed up slightly. "Um, yeah, it's a work in progress."

Freddie's eyebrow rose. "Something up Myk?" When his friend shrugged and shook his head, Freddie knew something was wrong. Mykal never avoided vocalizing his thoughts, unless there was a great deal of emotion involved. "Everything is okay, right? You are going to be able to pilot again aren't you?" 

Mykal nodded, "Yeah, that's not going to be a problem at all. I just don't know where I'm going to be going from here to be honest. Found out some information that's putting things in a weird perspective I guess." He looked over his shoulder at what used to be his 'Mech, now a defunct piece of weaponry. "Besides, I don't have a 'Mech anymore. His highness said that once I was back on my feet, he wanted to talk to me about some things, but that's all I know about the future as far as that goes." 

Freddie's eyes got big and the Master Chief whistled softly. "The King wants to meet with you? Like directly with you?" the young lieutenant whispered. Mykal nodded a little, thinking hard on what it could possibly mean. "Well, I'm sure it can't be that bad."

Mykal looked up at his friend. "Why do you say that?"

Freddie smiled, "Cause if it was bad, you'd probably be in the brig." The Master Chief chuckled and left the two young officers to their thoughts.

********************************

Mykal was sitting in his cabin going over recordings, survivor accounts and sensor readouts from the attack on Orphus III. He shook his head, not understanding what he saw. The information didn't add up. Pushing back from the desk, he leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Orphus is a class one royal retreat system. There is no way the Carthanians could have been able to sneak in. The size of the strike force that they hit us with was way too big to slip past the orbital defense network." Mykal said out loud to the empty room. From the reports that Mykal had, the orbital defense network had never triggered that there were hostiles entering the system and setting down on the planet. Once the attack had begun, the platforms were manually activated, and quickly wiped out the three capital ships that were supposed to stop anyone from fleeing the planet. 

Unfortunately, the damage had already been done; the strike force had already landed three drop ships worth of infantry and light armor, and three drop ships that had carried the Omnis. 

"The only way they would have tried that was if....." Mykal cut himself off as a cold fist clutched his heart, the thought completing itself. "They knew the family was there, and they had inside help to get on the surface." He whispered.

Standing quickly, Mykal started to pace around his small cabin, running his hands through his short dark hair. "Who, who, who? Who would have done this? Who could have done this?" The fact that someone had purposely sold out the royal family to enemies that humans had so little information, was staggering to the young officer. "I have to be missing something." He sat back down and started pouring over the data from various different tablets, trying to find a clue as to who it could have been that did the unthinkable. He didn't know how long he was going over the information when he heard the door chime to his cabin chirp at him. He barked at the ships computer, "Enter!" 

The door hissed open, and he heard a pair of boots walk in. He spun his chair around, still looking down at a tablet, completely absorbed in what he was reading. "What can I do for you?" 

"You can raise and greet your Queen, Captain!" was the barked reply.

His head snapped up, his eyes wide, and found himself looking into eyes that were near mirrors to the young princess. "So that's where she got them." was the first thought through his mind, the next was that he was looking the queen in the eyes. He immediately snapped his eyes down and bowed low. "Your Majesty! It is an honor to receive you. How can I be of service to you my queen?"

"Raise your eyes, Captain, please." Looking up he saw the still young looking and attractive face of Queen Victoria Davidov. She smiled slightly and murmured something that sounded like, "Now I see what she means." 

The slight cough that sounded like a swallowed chuckle came from the young man standing next to her. Sharing the strawberry blonde hair of the woman next to him and the icy blue eyes of Hans Davidov could only mean that he was the young Tobias Davidov, heir quartos to the throne.

Looking over at the young man briefly, he gave the young man a salute; as his official rank in uniform was Colonel. The younger man seemed to straighten up a little more, if that was possible, and returned the salute. "It is an honor to have you here as well sir." Mykal said to him. The pleasure that the younger man felt at being addressed by his military rank was evident in his face. 

The queen smiled as she looked between the two young men. "It is we who are honored Captain. I am to understand that you had a great deal to do with us escaping that ordeal." 

Mykal found himself blushing slightly at the praise from the queen. "I only did my duty your Majesty. Anyone would have done the same in my place." 

The Queen seemed to float in her long gown, and carefully sat in a chair in the corner of the room. "Tobias, if I may, I need a word with the Captain in private." Both of the young men gave her a startled look. 

"Yes, mother. " He looked at pointedly at Mykal. "I'll be right outside." The tone of his voice did not hide the fact that it was a veiled threat towards the Captain. The young man turned smartly and walked out of the cabin, the doors sliding closed. 

The queen sighed softly. "I'm sorry about that. He's been just about as over protective of me and his sisters the last two months as his father. Thank you too for treating him as an officer and not a royal. He has worked hard to earn the right to wear that uniform."

"I totally understand, your Majesty. I would almost expect it. I'm kind of surprised that the Lady Brigit doesn't have more guards than she does. I know that the Colonel worked hard to get his commission. There was a great deal of talk about it. " Mykal replied.

The queen chuckled softly, "She's her daddy's baby girl. She gets just about anything she wants. Thankfully, she is not as demanding as her sister, so we are okay with giving her the small things." She waved her hand towards the desk chair. "Please sit, you standing there is going to give me a cramp in my neck." As he sat, she observed the Spartan condition of the cabin.

"Your majesty, would the Princess' personal safety really be considered a small thing? I mean...I don't mean to say..." Mykal flushed as he realized what he said. 

The queen held up a hand to quiet him. "I know you meant no disrespect, Mykal. You don't mind if I call you Mykal do you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mykal blushed again and shook his head in the negative. 

She smiled, "I know that her safety is not a minor thing. However, as she is usually in the lab with her uncle and his guards are there as well, it is as if she is doubly protected, is it not?" Mykal nodded his agreement.

"Besides, since you are their new 'project' you are around her most days as well, are you not?" Mykal nodded slightly again, looking closely at the queen. "Well there you are. I am sure that nothing will happen to her then." 

Mykal gave a start. "Majesty? I don't understand..."

The queen gave a small snort. "I know about you Captain Mykal McDaniel. I know about the official reprimand in your file, the one and only. Yet, it is one that could conceivably stop your career at this rank. You are a superior leader, a great pilot, and I understand you are even trained to use a saber and small arms and excel at that as well. Yet, you will probably be stuck as a captain for the rest of your career. As it is, I understand there was quite a bit of strings pulled to get you that rank." 

Mykal grimaced slightly. "Well, striking a higher ranking officer is generally frowned upon."

"You struck a superior officer over a comment. A very nasty comment I understand. One that involved my daughters and I?" She looked him in the eyes and her gaze trapped him.

"Yes, your Majesty." He said softly. 

"What was the comment? It seems that none of the accounts have that little tidbit. It's almost as if it was...erased for some reason." 

"Majesty, it was rude, crass and nothing a lady should ever have to hear." he said. "It makes me dirty just thinking about it." he whispered.

"Tell my Mykal. I want to know what is so bad that you would give up a career." the queen demanded. Her eyes bored into his, as if digging through his soul to get the information she wanted.

"Your Majesty, please...." he said in a pained voice.

"Tell me Captain. That is a command from your Queen." her eyes flashed.

"He said....He said that he would love to 'tag team' you and your daughters. He said he wanted to treat you like the....the high priced royal whores you are....and that he would want to fuck you in front of your son and husband to show them how whores should be treated." Mykal couldn't keep looking at her and sucked in a shuddering breath, remembering how the comment had made him see red, and feel physically dirty. He felt the molten rage that flowed through his veins as he smashed his fists into the Captain's leering face, over and over and over until his fists were bleeding.

"Captain. Mykal! Look at me." He looked up at the queen, tears running down his face.

The queen was astonished at what the other officer had said, and that he had gotten away with it. "What you did was nothing less than what my husband or sons would have done." She stood, walked towards him and kneeled on the floor in front of him, taking his hands in hers and looking into his eyes. "You did what no one outside my own family would be willing to do. You did it twice now. You threw away your life's career to protect mine and my daughters'honor, and you knowingly subjected yourself to what you knew would be a horrendously painful death, to save my family's lives." A tear ran down her cheek. "You have an ally in me, and you have an ally in my husband. You have not been treated as you should have been for the man that you are." 

She kissed him once on each cheek and on his forehead. "I will see that you are properly rewarded. I promise you that." She stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress. Looking over his shoulder at the pads on his desk, she looked down at the man who seemed to have deflated from the emotional draining that he just faced. "Mykal, I am sure that my husband will most likely want to meet with you tomorrow, perhaps you should get some rest. Leave this work for another day." 

Mykal couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"What is it Mykal?"

"I guess the nickname 'Mother of the Kingdom' is appropriate." He managed a small smile. 

She chuckled and gave a small harrumph "Oh, hush you, and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day, I think." Mykal caught a look at her as the mirth seemed to fade from her eyes and her face seemed to look older than she was. Then she was sweeping out of the room, her guards and son falling in step with her, as the doors closed.

Mykal sat and stared at the doors, lost in thought for almost ten minutes. Standing up, he began getting ready for bed, following his queen's command.

**********************************************************************************

Walking into the royal quarters, Elaine used the wireless connection to the ships computer to find out if her husband was still in meetings, or if he had returned yet. As the computer informed her that he was in his study, with no one in the room with him, she walked down the hall and into the lavishly furnished library. Looking up, the king's eyes showed no surprise that she was there. "He must have someone keeping tabs on me. What an infuriating sweetheart." she thought to herself as she walked up to the love of her life.

Pushing back from the desk, Hans made room for his wife as she immediately settled into his lap, a practice that they had been doing since they had wed over 45 years before. 

"How was your day, my love?" she asked, trying to keep herself from showing how her conversation with Mykal had disturbed her.

"Meetings, meetings and more meetings. All of which got nothing done. I think I am going to start requiring my general staff to lead from the front line, maybe they would retire and get more rotation in the command staff." Hans grumbled. He looked into his wife's eyes. 

"So, how was your conversation with young McDaniel? He was polite, I hope?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

Elaine sighed. "How do you do you do that?" Shaking her head she leaned in and snuggled closer to her husband, needing his strength.

"That boy is smart, polite, intuitive and more loyal to us than we deserve." 

His eyebrows drawing down, he looked at his wife. "Why do you say that?"

"That boy crippled his career because a pig of a man that out ranked him said things that I had to command him, not once but twice, to repeat to me and beat that same man for said comments. Hans, it was physically painful for him to repeat the vile things that man had said about me and our daughters. From what I understand, the Synaptic Overload that nearly killed him didn't cause him to shed a single tear, but repeating those words seemed to cripple him." Elaine trembled slightly at the words the disgusting man had said, and that had been repeated back to her. 

"It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" Hans asked.

"I cannot bring myself to say those words out loud, but I will send you a recording of that part of the conversation we had." In a matter of seconds, the small computer in her head transmitted the recording of Mykal's repeating of the insults, and subsequent breakdown. 

As the seconds ticked by, she watched her husband's face as he listened to the recording. The look of pure rage that filled his eyes was a thing that she had only seen one other time, and had spent years trying to forget.

His voice was quiet and deathly calm when he finally reigned in his rage enough to speak again. "You have the file on the incident?" She nodded. "Good. I will need to see that when we are done here."

Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Hans began to visibly calm. "You are absolutely right. He has been given a disservice. I will rectify that, as well as reward him for now two sacrifices that he has made for my family." 

"He knows something is wrong with what happened on Orphus III Hans. I saw something of the information he was going over before Tobias and I visited him." Han's eyes snapped to hers. She shook her head. "No, I don't think he knows it all, and no, Tobias was not in the room when I made the Captain tell me."

She giggled and snuggled into him again. "He addressed Tobi as Colonel and never once acted as if he was a royal. You should have seen how happy Tobi was." 




Betrayal 03



"Did he maybe not know who Tobias was?" Hans asked, kissing his wife's forehead.

"Not a chance. That boy catches everything." She giggled again. "Well, almost everything."

"Hmm? What didn't he catch?" the king asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing you need to worry about, husband mine. Only something a mother needs to worry about." She said, kissing up her husband's neck and jaw.

Hans sighed, "Its Brigit, isn't it?"

"I am so glad that you are more observant than my father was." She grabbed his head and forced him to face her; giving him a scorching, soul deep kiss. When she finally separated from her husband's lips, she looked him in the eyes. "Enough of this for tonight, I need my husband to show me that he wants me as much today as he did that day he surprised my father by asking for my hand." 

Hans smiled and without letting her up from his lap; stood with her in his arms and began walking towards their bedroom. "That is a request I will never grow tired of fulfilling."



Betrayal 04



Chapter 4

Elaine walked into her husband's study and dropped a tablet on the desk. Hans looked up from his work in surprise, shocked at his normally gentle wife's behavior.

"What's wrong Elaine?" he asked, worried at the rage boiling in her sharp, green eyes.

"That son of a bitch got promoted. I've been alone with him. Our daughters have been escorted to balls by that evil fucker!" She was so angry she couldn't stop shaking, tears of rage running down her cheeks.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Hans snatched up the tablet that she had dropped on his desk and started to read. His wife jumped when the tablet suddenly cracked in half.

Elaine walked around the desk and wrapped her arms around her husband, his evident rage allowing her to focus on something other than her own anger. "We can't openly discredit him or assault him. We have no proof of what he said."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he looked up at his wife. "Could Mykal be mistaken in..." he cut off at the sudden storm in his wife's eyes. "No, there is no way that young man could have gotten it wrong."

He sat and thought about it for a moment. "Though, perhaps the young Captain could assist us in rectifying this."

********

Waking at his normal time of 05:00, Mykal made his way to the exercise facilities in the junior officer section of the ship where his cabin was located. Rumors seemed to be flying around that the jump ship would be arriving at its destination any day now, maybe even later today.

He was the only 'Mech pilot in the workout facility, which told of how crushing the losses on Orphus III had been. As he ran on a treadmill he went over data that he had downloaded into his implant about the various points of combat on Orphus III. He saw Freddie walk in and wave to him. Mykal gave him half a smile and pointed to the treadmill next to him.

After stretching for a few minutes, Freddie climbed onto the treadmill and started his workout. "You would make me keep up with my physical training."

"We may only be a unit of two, but that's no reason to slack off." Mykal told his friend as he continued to run.

"How long have you been here?" Freddie asked, noticing how damp Mykal's shirt already was.

Mykal glanced at his timepiece, stopped, and forced himself to check with the implant. "I got here about 0515, so a little over an hour. I'm going to have to take off here after a bit of a cool down. Have some things to take care of."

As he finished up his workout, Mykal pulled off his shirt and wiped himself off with a towel. "I expect you to be here at least an hour Freddie. "

"Sir, yes sir!" Freddie saluted as he continued to run. Chuckling on his way out the door, Mykal shook his head at his friend's irreverence. "God's help him when he gets put in a regular Unit." he said to himself as walked down the corridor to his cabin. Mykal knew deep down that Freddie would be moved away from him at some point, if only because he was still able to be promoted. Mykal shook off the black mood that threatened to descend on him as the events of last night came back to him.

The queen had promised him that she would make it right, but he knew that there was no real way to fix the issue. There were no witnesses that could or would confirm what that bastard had said, so it was his word against Mykal's. Mykal being the aggressor immediately made it a moot point. "That's what family connections are for, I suppose," he said as he walked up to his door. Keying in his access code, the door slid open.

Mykal tossed his shirt into the dirty clothes receptacle, and walked into the restroom to take a shower. Just as he was getting ready to turn on the controls, his door chime rang. Grumbling to himself, he walked out of the restroom, pulling on a pair of shorts. "Enter."

As the doors opened they revealed a sight both welcome and cursed as Brigit walked into the room, her two guards taking up positions outside the door on either side.

Mykal bowed to her as she entered. "Princess, to what do I owe the honor?"

The tiny redhead's face drew down in a scowl. "Damn it Mykal, I have told you for the last three weeks to stop that, especially when we are alone."

"What do you mean Princess? I cannot violate regulation and Empirical law." Mykal fought to keep a smile from his lips as the petite beauty before him got even more irritated, pursing her plump red lips. "I wonder what her kisses taste like when she's angry." The thought came unbidden and startled him in its boldness. He had thought simple things like how pretty she looked with a certain shirt or skirt, or how cute a certain facial expression looks. He hadn't had such an expressly physical thought about her before.

Her face turned red, setting off her ruby locks quite nicely. "Stop it!" she said and stomped her foot.

Seeing this, there was nothing that Mykal could do to stop from laughing. "Did you just stomp your foot at me, Brigit?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he stopped laughing. He stared wide eyed at the princess and watched as her face went from red, angry and cute, to glowing, smiling and breath-taking.

"Say it again." she whispered, as smile blossoming across her face. She walked up to Mykal, who was frozen in place like a deer in the headlights. "Say my name again."

"Brigit." he whispered.

She launched forward, wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. "I have been waiting for you to say my name for over a month." she took a deep breath through her nose, taking in his musky, fresh from a workout scent.

She looked up into his eyes. "Thank you for saving my family Mykal. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it. How much I appreciate you. No matter what happens, never ever forget that. Understood?"

Looking down into the eyes so much like her mother's enchanting green, it was like déjà vu. This petite little woman wanted his promise. After this morning, there was nothing that he would not promise her. "I won't. I promise."

She gave him one last squeeze and took a few steps back, and in doing so, turned back into the princess. "Thank you for seeing me Captain. You have no idea what it means to me." There was a laughing twinkle in her eyes that knocked down another wall he had built. "I will see you later today."

"Thank you for stopping by Princess. I hope you have a good day." he said, only letting the smile show in his eyes.

She smiled once, turned and walked out the door.

Like a zombie, Mykal walked to the restroom, started up the shower and stepped in. Standing under the pressurized steam, he laid his head against the cooler walls of the shower. "You had to do it didn't you Myk." he said to himself. "You just had to fall for her you Idiot."

**********

As he got out of the shower, he saw that he had a message on his com console. When he opened it, he was shocked and immediately worried when he saw that it from the king himself, not one of his assistants.

The message was fairly straight forward and stated that the king wanted Mykal to accompany him and his wife, the queen, to a meeting being held in the afternoon. There were some things he wanted to go over beforehand, so he asked for Mykal to arrive at the royal suite at about 1230 so they could have a light lunch before the meeting at 1400.

Under the King's salutation, was a small one line post script reading: "Wear your full dress uniform." it was signed EVD.

Mykal sent a message to Freddie, letting him know he wouldn't be at the hangar that afternoon, and that he would talk to him sometime after his meeting. Once done with that task, Mykal pulled out the brand new dress uniform he had gotten from Supply on the ship. After going over the uniform with a fine tooth comb, to make sure everything was in regulation, he dressed and made his way to the Royal Suite.

As he approached the guards to the royal quarters, they came to attention and saluted him. "You are to be shown directly to the King's office, Captain."

Mykal nodded, returning the salute and moved to remove the sword belt that held his officers saber.

Holding up a hand, the guard shook his head. "No sir, we were given express orders that you were to keep you saber, as it is part of your complete uniform." Mykal raised an eyebrow at this, but nodded none the less and stepped through the heavy sliding door.

As the door closed behind him, a young ensign in dress uniform stepped up. "Sir, if you could follow me; I will show you to his Highness' study, he is waiting for your arrival." Surprised by the comment, Mykal only nodded to the Ensign to carry on. Mentally checking his new piece of hardware and noting that he was still 5 minutes early to his lunch meeting.

As the ensign walked ahead of him, Mykal looked over the younger officer. "Two months ago, I would have not hesitated to ask her out for drinks or dinner." Mentally shaking his head to clear his train of thought, he started to unobtrusively study the corridor they were walking down, making note of the paintings and other wall hangings that they occasionally walked by. His eyes widening at one he knew to be absolutely priceless, he marveled at the fact it was decorating a corridor wall in a drop-ship, not a museum. As if reading his mind, the ensign spoke up with a bright and clear voice. "These are some of the pieces we saved from the palace on Orphus III, during the evacuation. The Queen didn't want them falling into the hands of the Carthanians." Under her breath she muttered, "Not that they would know what to do with them."

Mykal smiled slightly and nodded his agreement. "I am glad that some things were able to be saved. Not everyone would remember things like irreplaceable art, in an emergency like that."

After a few more meters, they came to an ornately decorated door and the ensign pressed the door chime. The baritone voice of the king could be heard through the door, "Come!"

As the door slid open, the ensign led Mykal into the room and stopped in front of the huge desk, at the far end of the room. "Captain McDaniel, as you commanded, Majesty." she said with a bow.

Following the ensign, Mykal quietly marveled to himself at how amazing the room looked. "Thousands of books. Real books. Where did they all come from?" Stepping up next to the ensign, Mykal bowed deeply when he was announced.

"Thank you Jessica. That will be all." the king nodded to the ensign, dismissing her. With a smile, she raised, took two steps backwards, turned and walked out. As she turned, Mykal saw her wink, and then she was gone.

"Thank you for joining me, Captain." The king gestured to one of the chairs that were in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Mykal nodded once and sat in the chair, sitting straight up, making sure that he only touched his saber when adjusting it for sitting. Thoughts about why he was here raced through his mind, unsure of what was in store for him.

Hans Davidov watched the young officer sit and smiled slightly. "Captain, I assure you, there is nothing you have done wrong. You can relax a bit." he said with a smile that barely touched his eyes. Mykal saw it was evident his king had much on his mind, and smiles did not accompany most of them.

Mykal relaxed very slightly, allowing his back to actually touch the chair. "If I may ask, your Highness, why am I here? I understand that you want me to join you in a meeting later, but I am not sure how I could be of any help to you. I'm just a pilot, sir."

The king nodded slightly. "That is true; you at this moment in time are a pilot. Actually, you are a bit more than that." he said without revealing any emotion. "You are also a leader. One that from what I understand, has the ability to inspire those in his command to heights in performance that is unheard of. You are a subject of this kingdom of mine that is loyal beyond any I have personally seen," smiling tightly he added, "and you are just a pilot. You are a pilot that happens to be of consummate skill and prowess."

Mykal was speechless hearing these things said to him by his King. Growing up in the government sponsored orphanage and then military academy; he had no family to commend him on his jobs well done, or help him up from his mistakes. This man, that he had idolized since he was old enough to know what a king was or what he meant to Mykal's own life, had just paid him the greatest compliment of his life.

"Thank you, your Majesty" was all he was able to croak out, just above a whisper. The king smiled again, this time lighting his ice blues eyes just a bit more than before, and was about to speak when a door to the left of the desk opened and the Queen whisked in, followed by a serving man with a large covered tray in his hands.

Mykal instantly stood, as did the king, surprising the young officer. "Ah my love, just in time with lunch. Perfect timing as always." the king said as he looked at his queen with obvious adoration. The Queen smiled lovingly at her husband and executed the smallest of curtsies without missing a step.

"Sit, both of you. I told you Hans that we were not going to make this one of those uncomfortable formal affairs." she said with an obvious wink at Mykal, sending him into mental spasms that had him completely at a loss, not knowing what he was doing.

Chuckling at the young man's complete confusion, the king spoke up. "I've learned its best do what she says, Captain. She will get her way eventually anyhow."

"Oh hush you. Please, sit down Mykal. We didn't ask you here for a formal meeting. Well, at least lunch is not formal. The meeting later will probably be fairly formal." she said, sitting in the chair next to the one that Mykal had just stood up from.

Slowly sitting back down, Mykal nodded slightly, still off guard by how informal the two royals were acting in front of him. It was not something he had ever imagined, let alone expected to see.

Elaine lifted the cover of the tray that the serving man had deposited on the king's desk before he had disappeared back through the door like a ghost. Revealing a selection of finger sandwiches, cut meats, cheeses, breads and fruits, she picked up a grape and popped it in her mouth. "Eat up Mykal, I'm sure you'll be able to catch up when you have a full stomach." she said with a smile.

"Elaine, stop teasing the boy. Obviously he is having a hard time with the fact that the royal family really is just human." the king said lightly as he stacked some food on a small plate, which was included with the platter on the tray. Turning and looking at Mykal, he continued. "We are just normal people Mykal. Just with jobs that are more important than most. We can succeed and fail just like everyone else."

"My husband is getting ahead of himself." Elaine cut in. "What he means is that we have seen how some people have nearly worshiped our family and we want you, one of our most loyal subjects, to see who we really are." she said, laying a hand on top of Mykal's; which had not left his knees. "You have done too much for this family to be anything but a friend."

Sitting speechless for a moment, Mykal's mind reeled and tried to catch up with what had happened in the last two days in regards to the royal family. "I don't know what to say, Majesties. I'm just a commoner, an orphan that got lucky and was admitted to the academy. I'm a bit overwhelmed here."

The queen let out a tsk. "First off, no more of that 'Majesties' stuff when we are in private. Second, just be yourself. That is what has made you what you are." She winked at him, "Besides, I know you were able to call my daughter by her name."

Both men's faces immediately turned bright red. Mykal's from embarrassment, Hans' from something less innocent. Mykal began to stutter an apology before he was cut off by the queen. "Oh, don't be silly. From what she tells me, you put up quite a resistance." She added looking towards her husband, "You know how she is. You can't be surprised."

Hans let out a sigh and visibly calmed. "I suppose." Looking at how red Mykal's face still was, he chuckled. "You are going to learn firsthand what it means to be out played by someone used to navigating the royal court."

Finally finding his tongue, Mykal spoke up. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking between the two.

"Oh, this will be fun to watch." the queen said quietly with a chuckle.

Realizing that he was not going to get a straight answer, Mykal opted to try and shift the conversation. "If I may ask, your Majesty, why was it you wanted me to accompany you to your meeting this afternoon?"

"My name is Hans, Mykal, and the meeting is going to be with some of the military command staff that we have here on the ship. I don't want to go into details, but there is much more to what happened on Orphus III than is apparent."

"It was an inside job, wasn't it?" Mykal said before he could stop himself. Hans tensed slightly and Elaine smiled smugly at her husband.

"I told you."

Hans rolled his eyes at his wife and looked back to Mykal. "Yes, yes it was. So far inside that it could shake the kingdom to its core." a dark look passed over his face momentarily, before he continued. "The traitor was trying to eliminate all the family that was on Orphus III."

Mykal's mind whirled at what his king was telling him. All the family...he can't mean that. Looking into Hans' eyes though, he knew. "Why?" was all he could ask.

"Other than the most obvious, we don't know. They could have other reasons, but we don't know for sure...yet." the king said as he lifted a drink and took a sip. "That is part of why I want you to join us. You seem to have an uncanny ability to see information that would take an entire analysis team to find. We think that there may be more than just one and that they are high up."

"I appreciate your faith in me Majes...Hans," he corrected himself at a raised eyebrow, "but I'm just a scout lance commander, even if I do hear something; it is my word against theirs. That isn't going to hold a drop in a bucket versus someone from the command staff or the peerage." he sighed. "I saw that first hand." he said in a whisper, more to himself than anyone else.

Hans nodded slightly. "I suppose that means you will need a bit of a promotion then won't it?" Hans opened a drawer in his desk, pulled out a small black velvet box and slid it cross to Mykal. "It's not a military rank, so you are still a captain for the time being, but it will help put some clout behind your words."

Mykal lifted the lid of the small box and saw two epaulet insignias. Golden suns backing a platinum saber glinted at him in the light of the study. The four stars inlaid with onyx, surrounded the sun and gleamed slightly. "You are making me Commander of the Royal Lance? This must be a mistake." he asked looking between the two.

Elaine just smiled a kind, motherly type smile, like she was proud of his accomplishment, and Hans just nodded slightly before speaking. "The Royal Lance suffered almost as many losses as your old command did Mykal. You are by far the most qualified pilot for this post." Shaking his head slightly, he looked Mykal in the eyes. "Hell son, if not for that bogus mark in your file and that B.S. from the shrinks about being 'too loyal' you would have probably been in the unit already, as a squad leader or executive officer at least."

Mykal's head spun a bit as he thought about what was being handed to him. Most lances contained only ten 'Mechs, with a captain and executive officer, or X.O. as a second in command. The Royal Lance was a bit of a different beast however. Its standing compliment was fifty 'Mechs and a complete support staff. It was a post held by at least a Colonel if not a Brigadier General. "I'm honored, your Majesty." was all he was able to get out.

"You deserve it. I'll let that 'Majesty' slide since you were talking in an official manner." Hans looked at his wife and nodded to the box.




Betrayal 04



She nodded back, stood and took the box from Mykal's hands. "Allow me, as a token of my gratitude for saving my family. In more ways than you know." she said as she took the insignias out of their box and attached them to his shoulder boards.

Hans smiled at how they looked on the young officer. "We'll work out the rank thing when we get back to the Sol system and have a real staff to work with, but for now, all you need to know is that the head of the Royal Lance is always referred to as 'Captain' or by his peerage rank, if he has one. Stick to that, no matter who it is that is addressing you, including the royal family," he smiled, "unless you want to play favorites and tick certain people off on purpose."

Mykal's eyes narrowed as he looked between the two royals. "You are leaving something out."

Hans' eyes widened and he sat back a bit from the young man. "Gods, you weren't kidding, Elaine. It's like he was raised in the Games."

"Games?" was Mykal's response.

"The Games of Court, Mykal. They are the little intrigues and plots that surround the throne and ruling class of the kingdom. We all play them, though some better than others, with the point being to keep your opponents off balance and to maintain your power base." She gave a girlish little giggle, "Oh, I can't wait until you're unleashed on the Court proper. I can hear the wails of consternation now."

Hans grunted. "As much as I hate the Games, they are a necessary beast in politics. Both inside our kingdom, and with other nations," he smiled slightly, "though the Centaris don't really hold much stock by it, thankfully."

The Centaris were the only other sentient race that the humans had discovered, besides the Carthanians. Where the Carthanians were overly militaristic; the Centaris, small of stature, with thin frames, large eyes, and soft grayish skin, were very peaceful, so long as you did not attack them.

"Mykal, there is going to be some people at this meeting that may be indifferent or evenly openly hostile towards you. It is very important that you do not lose your cool, no matter how you are goaded." Elaine said to him, touching his arm lightly.

Looking over at the queen, he nodded. "I understand." he said. "I'm there to keep them off balance, not pick fights."

Elaine smiled. "I knew I could count on you to get it." Standing, she held out her hand to invite Mykal to stand. "You keep your sword on. That will confuse the hell out them." she said with a smile to her husband. "Shall we?"

**************

Striding into the meeting chamber, Mykal's eyes swept over the assembled military men and members of court, automatically assessing the room for threats; even though the two royal guards that had entered the room ahead of him had done the same. Some of the men had their heads bent together in conversation so he was unable to get a good look at them all, but the ones that were paying attention as he walked in looked extremely surprised that he was here. "Keep them off guard." Mykal thought to himself.

Turning towards the door and nodding, arm in arm, the king and queen entered into the large room. He strode with strength and purpose, his posture leaving no doubt that he was the king. Beside him, with a hand resting in the crook of his arm, the queen seemed to glide in; full of poise and beauty, her stormy, blue eyes hard and calculating as she took in the room.

"Stand now for your King and Queen!" Mykal barked sharply, causing the conversing heads to snap up and look at the entering couple. Immediately, all stood, though Mykal saw that some did so a bit slower than the others.

The King and Queen took their seats at the head of the table and motioned to Mykal, who moved to flank the King and Queen, standing at their shoulders as if a guardian angel looking out for his charges. "You may sit." Mykal spoke in a clear and concise command voice. Caught off guard, the collected officers and nobles all sat at the command, regardless of rank.

An older man, a general from the rank that Mykal could see on his shoulder, was the first to recover. His face turning red, he looked directly at Mykal. "Who are you to be barking orders at us young man?"

The king immediately spoke up. "The man before you is the Commander of the Royal Lance. When he speaks, treat it as my voice." looking directly at the general, he asked, "Is that clear?"

There were murmurs of consent, and nods all around, though most looked as though they were not happy about this. Mykal's gaze took in the faces, ranks and insignias of each member of the council at the table. At the end of the table, sat a colonel that caught his attention fully. His grey eyes darkened and narrowed, in anger and disgust, at a face that had obviously been surgically re-constructed. As if he could feel that he was being watched, the man raised his eyes thinking he had not been noticed leering at the queen, and right into the steel grey eyes of the young officer. A chilling smile twitched on Mykal's face as he looked into the eyes of the man that ruined his career two years ago.

***********

Mykal stood his ground and watched over the meeting, filing away all of the tidbits of information regarding force size and structure of outpost worlds; what worlds had been recently struck, and what the overall situation facing the military was. He was getting better and better at sifting through the information quickly, and storing the 'files' into his new hardware. This certainly makes taking notes a whole lot easier.

Not only was he taking mental notes on military status, he also made note of how people interacted with the King, Queen and each other. Whenever the king asked for his opinion in regards to something, there was an inevitable barb launched in his direction; though always in a way that the sender thought was cleverly concealed. Every time this happened, Mykal's eyes locked on to the offender and did not waver until they wilted, realizing that the younger man was not one to suffer fools lightly. Most times, the person did not make a second attempt at insulting him.

The exception to all of this was Colonel Trenton Barovos. Not once did he make a snide comment loud enough to be heard any more than a few inches around him. Being only a few years older than Mykal, it was evident that he had obtained his rank due to political might, rather than his militaristic prowess. His bearing and posture made this even more evident and served to irritate and enflame Mykal even more.

Thinking on his meeting with the prince, Tobias, he felt confident that not all who obtained rank in the military based on family treated it as Barovos did. At the times that he was not looking at someone that had attempted to insult him, he allowed his eyes to wander over the faces of the people seated at the table. There were a few that met his eye and did not waver, even at times nodding slightly in recognition of who he now was. Most though averted their eyes uncomfortably.

Early on in the meeting, when he would focus on a potential trouble maker, he realized that he would suddenly be able to pull up information on whoever the perpetrator was. Their name, rank, home planet, even things as little as who they were married to and how many kids they had; all was suddenly in his brain. After the first few times, Mykal's brow furrowed slightly and he looked at the queen's face, in the reflection of the tablet she was holding up and reading from during the proceedings. A smile flickered over her lips and while brushing a non-existent stray hair behind her ear, she nodded slightly.

Yet another thing about this damn hardware that the doctor never told me about. Mykal thought to himself in irritation.

As the meeting was winding up, Mykal had a list of people he wanted to look into a bit more in depth, based on how they had acted over the last hour and a half.

There was a tense moment as the king spoke, "We have some information regarding the attack on Orphus III that needs to be made known."

Mykal felt a frenzied chunk of data float into the back of his mind, almost pleading in its format. [No matter what, do NOT react to what Hans is about to tell everyone; act as if it is common knowledge to you.]

Mykal nodded once, very slightly, looking down at the tablet in front of the queen. Knowing she had seen it, his attention went back to the king.

"As you know, the attack on Orphus III was a deliberate attack on me and my family. It was a strike that was meant to decapitate the kingdom in one strike. Due to exceedingly talented 'Mech pilots and a great deal of luck, we survived this attack; though we did lose the system to the Carthanians." Taking a deep breath and looking at his hands, that were clasped on the table in front of him, he continued, "There is no easy way to say this. We were betrayed from the inside. Someone with a great deal of rank and privilege de-activated the orbital defenses, and allowed them to land multiple assault carriers within striking distance of the palace compound. We don't know who everyone in the group that betrayed us is, as we are certain there is more than the one person at this time. We do; however, know who the mastermind is, the ring leader if you will, and the one person who stands to gain the most from my family's death. We have digital evidence of his direct involvement in dropping the orbital defenses, as well as outbound transmissions to the Carthanians indicating it was safe to start the attack. Unfortunately, in the ensuing chaos, he made good his escape."

Mykal was watching each of the men carefully, looking for anything that could indicate they had something to do with this. Most looked truly shocked or dismayed about the information. Only the persons that had obviously known about this information previously were able to keep a straight face.

One of the persons towards the end of the conference table, shifted in a way that drew Mykal's attention, and he found his eyes locking onto Barovos. If one were not looking directly at him as Mykal was, one would not notice that he seemed a bit green around the gills and wanted to be anywhere, but in this room, despite how hard he tried to hide it. Mykal continued to watch him; though he did so unobtrusively, to see if Barovos was going to slip up and reveal something actionable.

The king fell silent for a moment, as if he needed to gather his strength for what he was about to say. "The man who has betrayed us all is Marcus Daniel Davidov, Heir Primus to the Davidov throne."

The silence in the room was deafening. 



Betrayal 05



Shock, like a physical force, rolled through the room. Mykal felt it slam through his body as his mind tried to make sense of what the king had just said, yet he was still able to take in every detail in the room. 

From his subconscious came another burst of information. [Don't let any of them leave.] As he 'heard' this, what he saw was enough to make him move. A number of people had jumped to their feet to decry what the king had said, but only one made a move for the side door to the room. Barking orders to the security force in the room to secure the doors, he dashed around the nearer side of the table to the door and cut off the man who was obviously trying to make an escape.

"Going somewhere Trenton?" he said to the Colonel, contempt dripping from his words like an acid. 

"Get out of my way Captain; I have things that need to be done." The man tried to bluster, but came off sounding weak.

"Your king is not done with you Trenton. Go sit back down or I will make you go sit down."

"You have no right to call me by my given name you lap dog, now make way for your betters!" the flustered man yelled at Mykal, not realizing that the rest of the room was now watching him quietly.

"Did you not hear your king give an order? My words are his words. My words are telling you that you will go sit down now." Mykal said quietly as he took a menacing step forward, his grey eyes boring into the man in front of him. Dropping his voice to a whisper that only the two of them could possibly hear, he continued, "What's the matter Trenton? Afraid I am going to maim you even worse this time? Going to try and get daddy to get you out of trouble again? He can't help you out of this one Trenton, not like the slander you slithered out of before. This is so much worse isn't is Trenton? You couldn't help yourself. What did he offer you Trenton? What lies did he promise? More titles, more power? Did you settle for any less than a star system?" Mykal's eyes held his as he slowly herded him back towards the conference table, keeping him in a near hypnotized state of fear.

"What, no words this time? No bluster or bragging? I'm disappointed in you. He probably just threatened you like the little boy you are and you fell into place. You must have been neutered at some point; no real man would let someone walk all over him like you do. Not that you would know what to do with anything he could have given you." Mykal was reading his eyes, seeing that the poking and prodding was getting to the man in front of him. "He probably offered you women, not that you are equipped to do anything with them, are you?"

The crack of the open handed slap Mykal allowed Trenton to land sounded through the room. "You have no idea you little nothing. When Marcus wrests the crown from his joke of a father you and every one like you will be fed to the dogs. I'll rule next to him, as a prince; once he gives me that redheaded whore of a sister, maybe he'll even let me have his whore moth...."

His tirade was cut short as Mykal's hand clamped on his throat like an iron vice. Lifting him by his throat, Mykal pulled him very close and said out loud so the whole room could hear, "Thank you for making it easy." and flung him to the floor in front of the king, who had risen during the tirade. "What would you like me to do with the traitor, your majesty?"

In a disturbingly calm and quiet voice, the king motioned to the man cowering on the floor in front of him. "Take this piece of refuse to the brig. Make sure that he is watched at all times by at least two guards, no make that three. We are going to make sure that he gives us every bit of information in that simple head of his, and then he will be tried and executed for treason."

As the guards moved forward to grab Barovos, the beaten man came up with some scrap of courage or stupidity and reached into his jacket, pulled out a small hand laser and raised it towards the king. "Die, you old fool!"

Before anyone could react to protect the king from a shot that would be impossible to miss, a metallic ringing sound followed by a high pitched whistle rang out, and ending in a meaty 'thunk'. A heartbeat later, the hand holding the laser fell to the ground with a clatter. Looking down at the now profusely bleeding arm that ended just above where his wrist used to be, he fell to his knees. Clutching his stump to his chest, Barovos collapsed on the floor. 

Mykal flicked his wrist as he brought his saber down from the defensive stance he had taken after he had struck, spattering two drops of blood to the floor. Moving to stand between Barovos and the king, he pressed the communicator button on his belt. "Computer, we need an emergency medical team in the main conference room." 

As the guards reached Barovos, Mykal turned and looked to the king. "Are you harmed, Majesty?" looking over his ruler, he saw that there were some spatters of blood on the front of his uniform. Looking into the king's wide eyes, saw the bewilderment and confusion that indicated that he was on his way to going into shock. "Let's get back to your suite your majesties." 

The king nodded, turned and walked towards the door, holding out his hand to his wife, who rushed to his side and clutched his arm to her. Following the royal pair a few paces behind, Mykal's head began to decompress and he started to realize what he had done. He had deliberately goaded a man into declaring himself a traitor, and when that man had moved to attack his king, he had taken his hand off. With a sword. He thought that he should somehow feel bad about this, feel there was something wrong with him for not feeling remorse for what he did. Try as he might though, he couldn't bring up a single bad feeling for what he had done.

As they entered the royal suite, Mykal looked to the two guards at the doors. "No one but family comes in tonight. Personal assistants and guards excluded of course." The guards nodded as he walked through the doors. Heading down the hall towards the study, as that was the only room he knew, he saw the Ensign from earlier rushing in his direction. "Captain, the king is in the study; he was asking after you." 

Mykal nodded slightly, the physical and emotional strain starting to catch up with him. Following her back towards the study, he caught her name tag. "Ensign Jeffries, You are the king's aide or the queen's?"

"I'm the king's, Captain." He nodded to her as she opened the door to the study for him. As he entered, the door closed behind him and he saw that the king was sitting behind his desk; a tumbler of some amber liquid in his hand, his wife curled up on his lap clutching him. His other arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her close as she shook; obviously crying. The king nodded towards one of the couches off to the side of the desk. Mykal nodded once and made his way slowly and quietly, feeling more drained that he had expected. Sinking down into the soft cushions, he stared at the opposite wall; not really seeing anything as the accusations and attack played over and over in his mind. The only sound in the room was Elaine's soft crying.

Eventually, Mykal realized she had stopped crying and she was sitting up, wiping her eyes clear of tears. "My, I must look absolutely horrific, don't I?" 

Hans smiled a little. "Moderately horrible yes, though understandable under the circumstances." 

She laughed a little and lightly smacked her husband's shoulder. "Behave." She looked over at Mykal with a stern gaze. "And what am I going to do with you young man?" The shock on Mykal's face must have been readily apparent, as she started chuckling almost immediately, as she stood and walked around the desk to sit next to him on the couch. Wrapping both arms around him and hugging him tight, she completely caught him by surprised and he tensed; not knowing what was going on. "You just can't help saving my family, can you? Every time we come close to paying you back, you do something heroic to make it uneven again. Stop it." 

Relaxing slightly at her words, "I have no intention of ever following that order, your Majesty." he said softly. 

Looking up at her husband, she smiled, "Can we keep him?" Mykal nearly choked when he heard her, and Hans burst out laughing. "I'll see what I can do my love." 

"So I see that the rumors are exaggerated at the least." said a smooth as honey voice from the main door. Mykal flowed to his feet, putting himself between the door and the two royals, his hand resting on the hilt of his saber out of habit. What he saw stunned him for a moment. Standing just inside the door was easily the most physically beautiful woman he had ever seen in person. Just a few centimeters shorter than he was, she had long glowing blonde hair and the same ice blue eyes as Hans.

She was obviously looking him over as much as he was her. Her eyes narrowed just slightly, as she realized how openly he was looking her over. 

Elaine stood and put a hand on his wrist, indicating that he need not draw his saber. "You just can't help it, can you?" she whispered. His head shook very slightly in response. "Mykal, may I introduce our eldest daughter, Vivian Elizabeth. Vivian, this is Captain Mykal McDaniel, the pilot responsible for our escape from Orphus III, among a few other services rendered."

She raised an eyebrow. "My, what a splendid specimen," she replied, her tone indicating he ranked about as high as an insect to study in her eyes. "Trying to replace him already Father?" Mykal's eyebrows raised slightly, his attention never wavering from the princess. Mykal felt the indication of data downloading into his head. [She thinks we have you around to replace the hole left by her brother, Marcus. Don't ever for a minute think that is the case.]

"We have no desire to replace your brother Vivian. Mykal is filling a void that was emptied by losses suffered on Orphus III." he father replied, his tone even and cool. "I trust you remember what transpired there."

"Yes, well, that's still up for debate as far as I'm concerned. Now send you new pet away so we can talk about what happened today and why Trenton was assaulted." Mykal looked down at Elaine with a raised eyebrow, and saw her eyes widen in shock.

The thunderous crack, made by the king's hand as he slapped the desk, made both women jump. "As you can obviously tell, daughter mine, I was not actually killed on Orphus III and that means that I am still your king as well as your father. You do not, and will never give me or your mother orders. Do you understand?" 

Eyes wide as saucers, she nodded slightly. "Yes, father." was the meek reply.

"Now, I know that you want to believe that you brother did not betray us and try to have us all killed, but we have a man that without being even asked, admitted to having helped my son attempt to murder his entire family; including you, his twin sister." the king said softly as he walked around the desk and walked up to his eldest daughter. Taking her in his arms, he hugged her to his chest. "I know this is hard. It is hard for all of us."

Mykal shifted uncomfortably as he heard a soft sob come from the short blonde. "Why would he do that daddy? It just doesn't make sense. We are closer than any two people can be; why did he try to kill me?"

As he held his daughter, he whispered into her hair, "I don't know baby girl, I really don't know. " He pulled back from her, his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "We'll figure it out though. Now, apologize to Mykal, and give your mother a hug." He whispered low enough that the other two in the room couldn't hear. "Give him a chance Vivian, he's a good man and cares about this family as much as if it was his own."

Vivian smiled tightly to her father and walked over to stand in front of Mykal. "Captain, I apologize for my poor behavior; you have done nothing to deserve such treatment. I hope you can forgive my emotional outburst. " 

Mykal nodded to her, looking into her eyes. The glint he saw in them worried him. "Of course I do Princess. It has been a trying time, and a stressful day; I understand completely." She gave him a smile that never touched her eyes and took the extra step to give her mother a light hug. "I'm sorry, mother."

"I'm fine dear; it's hard on all of us. Go and head back to your rooms; you could use the rest, and you look a bit tired." Nodding to her mother, she turned and left the room without a look back.

"Wow." was all that Mykal could come up with. Turning to the king and queen, he bowed his head. "I'm sorry, your majesties, for reacting like I did and putting your daughter's back up; it was not my place."

The stinging smack the queen landed was not wholly unexpected, though still a bit surprising. "You do that again and I will give you worse." she said, her eyes hard. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call us 'majesties' when in private?" Mykal's eyes shot up and saw that a small smile played on the corner of her lips. The king looked like he was going to have a stress induced apoplexy. 

"Don't either of you do that to me again. My heart can't take all this stress." 

Mykal smiled slightly, suddenly feeling even more drained, now that the second dose of adrenaline had started to work its way out of his system. He made his way back to the couch and sat down, his legs feeling unstable and his hands shaking slightly. Elaine gave her husband a worried look. "Mykal, you are still recovering; you can't push your system this hard." Mykal waved a hand in dismissal, an obvious sign to the two royals that he was fading fast. "I just need some sleep and I'll be fine. I can catch up tomorrow; I don't think I have any extra duties." Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes telling himself, I'm just going to rest my eyes for a moment and then I'll go back to my quarters. Only a few seconds later, he was in the clutches of deep sleep.

********

Hans looked down at the young man laid out on the couch in his office. His wife was tucking a blanket over him; having removed his belt, uniform coat and dress boots. When she had tried to disconnect the saber from his belt, his hand had instinctively latched on to hers to stop her. She had leaned forward and started to whisper in his ear, and he had eventually released her hand and allowed her to remove the weapon now sitting on the king's desk. Lying there sleeping, he still seemed ready for anything; a spring wound tight and ready to launch into action at a moment's notice. 

"Who could have ever given up such a wonderful soul Hans? He deserved to grow up with a family." 

Hans pulled his wife up from where she was kneeling next to the couch and wrapped his arms around her. "Perhaps his family died and there was no other family available to raise him." though even that seemed unlikely in this day and age.

He felt her shake her head against his chest. "I went into his files from the orphanage. There isn't much there, but even that tells a kind of story. It specifically says that he was given up by his parents, but their name is not there, nor is his name really McDaniel. They gave him the name of the orphanage's founder, like they do for children that they know nothing of. So much missing, and not just because it was unknown; it is like his past was erased for some reason." She looked up into her husband's eyes. "Why would someone do that?" He could see the tears start to form in her eyes. 

"Once we get home, you can track it all down if you really feel the need. He's not going anywhere for the time being. Today showed that we have so few people that we can truly trust, and I firmly believe that this young man is one." He lightly kissed her forehead and began leading her to one of the seats across the room. 

"Where did we go wrong with Marcus? Didn't we give him enough love? He knew he was next in line for the crown, you had told him as much, and about your abdication plans." Elaine asked her husband quietly.

"I don't know my love. We know it was him, but we don't know his motivation. That is why I want to be careful about how we try and track him down. I don't want the military types to start demonizing and inadvertently killing him before we get the answers we need." he answered softly.

Just as they sat down, the door slid open and a whirlwind flew into the room and grabbed her father in a crushing hug. The red-haired tempest was followed more sedately by her younger brother, who was dressed in his duty uniform; some small spots of grease and other chemicals staining the pants where he had wiped his hands.

"Are you okay? I was so worried! I came as soon as I heard what happened; why didn't you call me...?" The petite redhead babbled into her father's chest as she clung to him as if he was about to disappear.

"Brigit, calm down sweetie; I'm fine. We didn't call you because we haven't had the chance, and there was nothing wrong. To be honest, I'm surprised that you heard about it so soon."

"So soon? Daddy, it happened two hours ago, and I was in the medical bay when that bastard was brought in to be treated." she said ignoring her mother's irritated tsking.

"Brigit Elenor, watch your language. Even if you are a doctor, you are still a princess and you will behave accordingly." her mother said with a stern look. Elaine stood and motioned to her youngest, which was just standing by the door, smiling at the scene playing out in front of him. "Come give us a hug."

Tobias did as he was told and picked up his mother in a giant bear-hug. Setting her down, he smiled. "Glad he's on our side, huh?"

Elaine's face sobered slightly. "If not for him, your father may not be here. That son of a bitch was at point blank range; there was no missing. I was sure I was going to lose my husband one moment, the next moment the bastard attacking him was missing a hand. Gods but Mykal is fast."

Brigit sat up and climbed off her father's lap. "Why are you guys still all dressed up; didn't you change? Daddy, you still have your coat on with blood spatters on it." she said wrinkling her nose. If one didn't know better you would never guess she was a medical doctor. Her eyes suddenly got large, "Where is he? Is he okay? Did he get..." she rapidly fired off, being pulled up short by her father raising a hand for quiet; which, he then used to point at the young man deep in sleep on the couch. 

She immediately ran over to the couch, went to her knees next to Mykal and began checking him over and testing his vitals. "Why is he out so deeply? What happened?"

Her father frowned slightly as he moved to sit behind his desk, removing his jacket as he walked; now wanting the dirtied piece of clothing nowhere near him. "Other than the stress he dealt with at the meeting and having to face down the military council here on board the ship, he also verbally confronted Barovos when the coward tried to flee the room. There is some very bad blood between the two of them, so it was very emotionally charged." Hans sighed and took a sip from the glass of liquor, which had been sitting on his desk un-touched. "After Barovos snapped and slapped Mykal, he confessed to helping the traitor in the attack on Orphus III. He then made some very disparaging comments about you and your mother." the king chuckled slightly. "After picking up the scum by the throat, Mykal thanked him for making it easy, and threw him to the ground in front of me to receive my decree." Taking another sip, he leaned back in his chair. "None of us expected that gutless pig to be the type to martyr himself, but he proceeded to pull out a pocket blaster and moved to kill me. It happened so fast that it could only have been a few seconds, but in my mind's eye, it seemed almost like time stopped flowing. One second, I had a blaster only a few meters away; looking down its barrel, knowing I was a dead man. In the time it takes to blink, the man's hand was severed at the wrist. To top it all off, your sister showed up not too long ago and began to berate and belittle him for hurting her 'poor Trenton' and accused us of trying to replace Marcus with Mykal. Needless to say, it was emotionally draining."




Betrayal 05



She brushed her fingers lightly over his brow and down the side of his face. "He's not ready for this daddy. He hasn't healed completely yet; his stamina is still weak, and he doesn't even know how to use most of the new things we installed into him." A soft chuckle from her mother interrupted her, making her look up. 

"Well, he learned a new one today, well part of one anyway." Brigit's eyes grew as she listened to her mother. "During the meeting I was dropping data packs at him. Trust me; I was as surprised as he was that you hadn't told him about that feature." Frowning at her daughter, she cocked her head to the side slightly. "Why is that anyway? If I remember correctly, that was one of the first ones we learned how to use when we got all this plugged into our heads."

Brigit looked down thoughtfully, her fingers running through Mykal's hair absently. "We had never done anything like this before. He was uncharted territory, regardless of how much we 'knew' it would work. Uncle Jason and I went around and around about this, but he finally convinced me that the best course of action, as far as Mykal's recovery, would be to develop and strengthen the things he already knew how to use from before. We figured that once we did that, all the rest would be that much easier to learn how to use." She looked up at her father, irritation obvious in her eyes. "This is why I said we needed to wait. He won't hesitate to do anything this family asks of him. He'll literally go until he drops, and eventually he'll go just that little bit too far and he won't get back up." Leaning down and kissing his forehead lightly, she whispered, "I won't let that happen, daddy. I can't let it happen."

Hans looked at his wife and then his youngest son, eyes wide in surprise. Tobias had his head down, while covering his mouth and trying to hide a chuckle as a cough; while Elaine rolled her eyes and smiled at her husband, shaking her head at his lack of observation skills. 

Finally looking up, she noticed her family watching her; one with a look of amazed confusion, the other two in happy amusement. Her face and neck immediately flushed a red almost as bright as her hair. 

Finally composing himself after a moment, Hans cleared his throat. "I don't know if my heart can handle much more of this today." he muttered, taking another pull of the drink on his desk. "You do realize we'll have to do something about this when we get home don't you?" He looked pointedly at his wife, who nodded slowly and smiled slightly. 

"Do something? What do you mean?" Brigit said standing quickly and facing her father. The look of fear on her face, told her father more than any answer to any question he could have asked. 

"Your mother will take care of it, and will keep you informed of what you need to be informed of." he said, with false severity. 

Tobias walked forward, "Do you want me to get someone to help me move him to his quarters, father?"

Hans shook his head. "No, with his new rank, he will be moving into the royal suites. I will need you to go to his quarters and gather his personal belongings Tobi." He held his hand up as Brigit was about to speak. "I am nearly certain that there is going to be some sensitive military information in his quarters, and I want you to be the one to collect it all and secure it in his new quarters, which you Brigit; " he said as he looked to his daughter, "will be setting up while Mykal gets some rest in here. Understood?" Both of his children nodded in acquiescence, though Brigit did so a second slower than her brother. "Be about it then. Don't worry Brigit; I will make sure that he is not disturbed. Perhaps I'll have Ensign Jeffries watch over him." The lightning that flashed in her eyes made him chuckle. "Or perhaps not."

******

As Mykal began to regain consciousness, he realized a couple of things. He had fallen asleep on the couch in his king's study, while in full dress uniform. And neither of these things was comfortable. Mentally checking the time, he realized that he had been asleep for nearly seven hours. "No wonder I'm so sore" he whispered to himself. 

"I told them you were going to wake up sore as Hades after sleeping, in your uniform, on that really uncomfortable couch." a man's voice came from across the room, "But of course, try telling my mom anything opposed to what she wants." 

Mykal bolted upright and scanned the room quickly. "Colonel, I mean, you're Highness, I mean..." he stuttered to a stop looking at the younger man who was just sitting there chuckling. 

"Same rule applies for me Mykal. No ranks in private. Tobias or Tobi." he said with a glint in his eyes. "Or I'll have to tell my Mother you aren't following the rules.

Mykal rolled his eyes. "Must be genetic." he mumbled under his breath as he stood and stretched slightly. "Speaking of you mother, where are your parents?"

"Damn, she's right, you never do quit." Tobias said with an eye roll. "They finally went to bed a couple hours ago. I myself just got here after my late night nap, which followed my moving your belongings to your new quarters. I had a few questions that I wanted to ask you, before my father woke up. I want to avoid any extra stress that I can." Tobi picked up a pad that was sitting next to him on the desk, and held it out for Mykal to take. "As much as I would love for those pictures to tell a story of how you are a slob in your private space; having seen firsthand how elaborate your room was to begin with, I don't think these pictures were you."

Mykal flipped through the various pictures on the pad, shocked at how his quarters looked. "Someone thrashed my quarters sometime since I left to have lunch with your parents early yesterday." He passed a weary hand over his face. "Gods, has it been less than a day? What about computer access logs; couldn't they say who accessed my room?"

Tobi nodded in reply. "Yes, usually there is. However, in this case there is no record of anyone going into your quarters after you left." The young prince looked Mykal in the eye. "Not a single person and I looked at the log after we left."

"Someone bypassed the ship's security system." Mykal said, finishing Tobi's thought. "What the hell were they after? I don't have any access to anything all that sensitive. Well, I didn't before yesterday. Hell, I don't even know what kind of access I have now. We didn't get much time to cover that."

"Total."

"Wait, what?" Mykal's head snapped up to meet Tobi's eyes. "What do you mean 'total'?"

"Exactly what I said. You have total access, well provided that it has been recorded by my father. You have the same access he has. Everything." Tobias chuckled. "In fact, you have more access than I do." 

"Why in Hades would I have that much access and who in their right name would give it to me?" Mykal whispered to himself, taken back at the revelation.

"Because you deserve it silly." came the lilting voice that set his heart racing as soon as he heard it. 

He was immediately on his feet, bowing to the red haired vision that walked in the door. "Princess, thank you for the kind words, though I hardly deserve them." His steel grey eyes met her stormy green. As much as he enjoyed seeing her, he hadn't forgotten that she was holding information back from him as to what was installed in his brain.

As he straightened from the bow, she took three quick steps forward and quick as lightning, a smack rang out in the room. Mykal's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked into her red, angry face. "What in Hades is it with the women in this family and smacking me?" he growled out.

"If you would listen as you know you should, it wouldn't be an issue, now would it?" Elaine's voice said, from the side entrance to the room. 

Without taking his eyes from Brigit's, he replied, "Well, Elaine, I was taught never to strike a woman for any reason. Like tinkering around in someone's head and not telling them what they were doing. So, since I can't do what you and your daughter so seem to like to do, I figure that treating the situation formally would be much better than losing my temper."

Elaine chuckled softly. "Having seen you lose your temper, I can imagine it would be better for all involved if you didn't do so again." 

Mykal's head turned slowly and he looked at the Queen, just as the King entered the room from the same door she had just come through, his aide following him. "Elaine, what you saw yesterday was not me losing my temper, but was me controlling a situation with a weak man." Her eyes got slightly bigger, but immediately went back to her normal, soft and caring composure; a soft gasp coming from her daughter.

"I thought that it looked far too controlled on your side of things. Especially, after what he said he was going to do with Brigit." she said, her eyebrows drawing together in anger when she thought about it.

His eyes instantly snapped back to Brigit, and amid the rage he was obviously feeling, there was a touch of something that she couldn't help but think was fear. "What did he say about me?" she asked quietly.

Mykal shook his head softly, trying to stop her from seeking answers, but he was not able to speak before her mother spoke up. "Barovos gloated that after your father lost the crown to your brother, for his assistance, you were to be his prize." Elaine sighed softly. "He was a touch more vulgar than that though."

Brigit's eyes got large, as the facts washed over her. She saw the new flare of pure rage in Mykal's eyes, as the muscles in his jaw clenched and she heard his teeth grind. She took a step closer, lightly laid a hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes. "Mykal, you need to calm down. Nothing is going to happen to me now, you took care of that; he'll never get close to me again. Please calm down for me." she whispered.

From behind him, Mykal heard the king speak. "Mykal, we have some things to go over today, but I think you need to go change and freshen up. I need to have a word with Brigit, so could you show Mykal to his new quarters, Tobi?"

Mykal nodded, "Yes, sir." never taking his eyes away from Brigit's. 

Lifting up on her tiptoes, she brushed a surprising and feather light kiss on his cheek. "Go settle in. I promise we will talk later." she said with a slight blush and smile.

Mykal nodded, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. "We have a lot to go over." he whispered, tapping the back of his head, just above the data jack in the base of his skull. He brushed a light kiss over her forehead as he walked by her, ignoring the fact that there were others in the room, and followed Tobi out of the room.

The king smiled at his daughter. "Well, I guess that is one question I don't have to ask."



Betrayal 06



Mykal woke with a start, the strange room pulling him from the depths of sleep faster than usual. Reflexively he checked the time on his internal clock. Wincing at the fact he was waking up at ten in the morning, he swung his legs around and set them on the floor; the soft feel of carpet startling him a bit.

"So this is how the other half lives." he mumbled as he made his way to the bathroom. His eyes widened again at how lush and well appointed his bathroom was. "Okay, this has to be better than even the other half." he muttered remembering his protests the night before that the quarters were far too extravagant. Feeling silly about how overly posh the rooms in his suite were, he went about his morning routine. Walking back to his bedroom and looked around, still floored by the extravagance.

Finding the door that led to the very oversized walk-in closet, Mykal began to dress in his normal duty uniform, only to find that his uniform tunics and pants were not anywhere in the closet. He did notice, however; that there were a number of outfits that he had never owned in his life, hanging next to his various uniforms.

Walking out of his closet, he looked around the room to see if there was another closet that may have held the rest of his uniform, but found nothing. "They didn't even give me a desk. Where am I supposed to do my work?" he said out loud as he walked to the door to his sitting room. The room was without a doubt the most extravagant that he had ever seen, let alone lived in. Various chairs, couches and recliners dotted the room forming small groups for conversing or relaxing separate from the rest of the room. In the center was situated a rough pentagon, formed from two large couches, half a dozen easy chairs, and a few love seats. A large triangle shaped coffee table sat in the middle, a hologram display cycling through various 'mech chassis in the center of the table.

The entire room was decorated in darker colors, highlighted by the forest green and gold of the 'Mech pilot corps. Yet even in a room as large as it was, there was nothing overstated or repetitive. Wandering around the room, Mykal saw the large double door that he assumed would lead to the outside corridor, and a smaller door to the right of the one for his bedroom. Walking up to the door, the security system chirped the sound of a restricted area; requesting access information. Out of habit, Mykal spouted his access code. "Hades alpha five five tango omega." As he trailed off, the door chimed and opened. Walking in, the computer put in its two cents. "Welcome back to your office, Captain McDaniel. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Looking around the well appointed office, Mykal was caught a bit off guard as he walked a few steps into the room. "This is my office?"

"That is correct, Captain; this office and in fact the entire suite, is assigned to you for the duration of the trip." came the digital reply from the computer.

"Trip? Where are we headed?" Mykal asked the computer, still perusing his office.

"That information is temporarily locked by request of the royal house. There is a note to inquire with the royal family were you to ask that question."

Gears turning in his head, he looked at the computer screen on his desk, currently displaying the seal of the Royal Lance. "Computer, who has unrestricted access to the knowledge of our destination?"

"King Hans Davidov, Queen Elaine Davidov, Crown Prince Jason Davidov, Fleet Captain Rimaldi and Chief Navigator Nomoro; though it should be noted that Chief Navigator Nomoro has since been locked out of the system and cannot make changes or access location logs or data."

"Do I have access to Nomoro's personnel file?" Mykal asked the computer as he opened and closed various drawers on his desk, seeing how it was laid out.

"Yes Commander, you do. You have access to all personnel files." Mykal nodded slightly, remembering his brief conversation with Tobias earlier that morning.

"I want copies of Nomoro and Fleet Captain Rimaldi's personnel files as well as a record of all transmissions made by both parties, as well as any made by Colonel Barovos." He said as he strode to the door of the study.

"Data compilation will take approximately one hour, Commander." Nodding to himself, Mykal was about to walk out the door when the computer chimed in again. "Would you like this information downloaded directly or placed on a tablet, Commander?"

Stopping in his tracks, Mykal looked up at the ceiling briefly. "What do you mean 'downloaded directly'?"

"You currently have data access for direct download into your cerebral implant." Shaking his head slightly with a soft chuckle, he responded.

"Do a direct download. Probably the most secure method." A chirp came from the computer, acknowledging his request. "Computer, do you know where my tunics are located?" he asked, just on the off chance.

"Your uniform tunics are located both in your bedroom closet and in the sitting room coat closet."

Walking out of the room, Mykal scanned the walls of the room, looking for a door that he must have missed in his first look around. To the left of the main entrance was a small section of wall that looked just slightly out of place for the rest of the room, even without the small piece of paper adhered to it.

Walking up to the unobtrusive closet, Mykal pulled the note off the wall and read it.

'Daddy said that your uniform needed to be corrected, especially after yesterday. There are some things that need to be filled in, but I'm sure that it will be taken care of later. Don't forget; you promised me a talk. B'

A blush rose up his neck as he remembered what she had done just before he had been lead to his room. Not to mention what he had done in response. Pulling out one of the tunics and putting it on, he thought about everything had happened yesterday. The promotion given to him from the king was probably the easiest to take; as it seemed somewhat normal in comparison to the rest of the day.

Mykal shook his head as he walked back to his room; remembering that the king had told everyone that his own son had betrayed the kingdom in a bid for power. As he straightened his tunic he took in the new insignias and markings showing his change in command. The corners of his mouth twitched up as he thought about how he had railroaded Barovos into admitting his guilt. The smile that was there vanished immediately as he thought about what he had done to the sniveling rich boy. He had been trained in the use of a saber since he was a small boy just arriving at the academy, even competing in a number of tournaments and even a few non-lethal duels. Having never considered himself great, he did tend to win more than he lost; though not by much. The speed at which he had moved was about as surprising to him as it was to everyone else in the room. He had seen the movement to pull the gun and he had reacted instinctively. He had never done something so destructive to a human in such close quarters.

Mykal shook himself and looked into his own eyes in the mirror. Could he have taken Trenton's life, if that was what it would have taken to stop him? Elaine had said that he couldn't help it. He believed that he would be able to do what it would take to keep the royal family alive. "Even if it means taking the life of another human being." Mykal sighed as he finished buttoning up his tunic. Picking up the saber from on top of his dresser, he noticed that the sheath that he had originally had on the sword had been replaced with an even dressier version that had the insignia of the Royal Lance engraved on the throat.

"And Elaine says that I can't help myself. They just can't stop giving me things." he said to himself with a smile as he belted on the sword. "Computer, what is the status of those files I requested?"

"Approximately twenty percent complete, Sir."

"Inform me when they are completed." The chirp from the computer confirmed his request.

Walking out of his quarters, Mykal looked up and down the hallway getting his bearings and trying his hardest not to look lost coming out of his own quarters. He had been so tired when he left the king's study that he barely remembered following Tobias to his room; let alone what route they had taken.

Don't lie to yourself; you were too busy thinking about her, his conscience told him. He felt a flush rise up his neck as if he had been caught outright as opposed to in his head. Digging in his head for the correct path, he felt the small tingle in the back of his head that indicated that his hardware was working, when suddenly he had a full schematic of the ship unloading itself from the micro computer in his brain. Reflexively, he began to manipulate the schematic to allow him to focus on the area of the ship he was in; conveniently highlighted by a small green dot. Another thing to ask Brigit and Jason about, Mykal mentally noted.

Following his mental map, Mykal made his way to the king's study, remembering that Hans had asked him to come by after waking. Pushing the chime button, he waited until the doors opened before entering.

Looking up, the king smiled slightly, "Good morning Mykal. It is still morning; isn't it?" Mykal chuckled at the stacks of tablets on the king's desk.

"Yes, Sir, it is if only just barely." Taking a seat where the king pointed vaguely. "Have you eaten yet, Sir?"

"Hmph. I have a wife Mykal; I don't need another one." the king retorted with a raised eyebrow. "However; no, I have not eaten yet today."

Mykal shrugged and replied with a straight face, "Just doing my job, Sir; keeping you safe includes making sure you don't pass out from hunger."

As he spoke, the door chime chirped and the king barked an order to enter. One of the royal servants entered carrying a large covered tray. "Her Majesty felt that it was time that you eat, your Majesty and instructed me to bring food for both you and the Captain."

Both men's eyes widened. "Sometimes that woman frightens me Mykal."

The young Captain nodded. "She scares me more than sometimes, Sir."

The servant set out plates holding hearty looking sandwiches and drinks. Bowing to the king first, and then slightly less to Mykal, she turned and left the room silently. Her action completely caught him off guard and he nearly choked on his drink. "Um, sir, why did she bow to me? Am I missing something?"

Hans chuckled, "For once I think you may have." He turned and sorted through the pads next to him; finally handing one to Mykal. Digging into the sandwich in front of him, Hans watched Mykal as the young man read over the information in front of him.

As he read over the information in front of him, Mykal's eyebrows seemed to try to climb into his hair line. "I can't be reading this right. The Commander of the House Lance isn't a military rank?"

"No; you're reading it correctly. You are no longer attached the military, directly. You are technically attached to the Royal household."

"Then why the military uniform?" Mykal asked, pausing from his meal.

"Well, you still have to command military units and keep military folks in line. While it is completely legal for you to do these things, most military people tend to hesitate when they are given an order from a non-military type."

"So by looking like I'm military, it cuts down on the response time. I can appreciate that I suppose."

"Considering you are the youngest to ever hold this post, you'll need all the help you can get."

Mykal nodded a little as he finished up his food. Setting his plate back on the tray he looked up at his king. "Sir, I appreciate all of this and I understand that I tend to be pretty protective of you and your family, but why me? I'm not that experienced and I'm sure that there are much more qualified people out there."

The king sighed and put down his plate. "To be perfectly honest, I don't need your experience, which by the way is better than you think. Right now, I have almost no idea who I can or cannot trust. I know I can trust my wife, and I am pretty sure I can trust Brigit, Tobias and my brother. Vivian is a wild card, despite what you saw yesterday evening. Twins are almost always closer to each other than their parents. What Marcus was trying to accomplish by allowing the attack while she was there, I have no idea. The only other person I trust completely is you. Your loyalty to my family, my wife and daughter in particular, is turning into a constant thorn in the side of those that are attacking us. This brings up another reason. Two of the most important women in my life have decided that you will be around for a great bit of time. I have learned a great deal in my eighty years of life. Avoiding upsetting the women in your life is one of the big ones." Smiling slyly he added, "Best you remember that one."

Hans reached over and grabbed a different pad and handed it to Mykal. "I am going to give you a commensurate rank of Major, as that is what you should be at least, if not for the actions of a certain someone. Also, we are looking into various methods of making you a member of the Peerage so that you can order around all those little irritants at court as well. Mind you, cutting off a hand may be a bit extreme in their case. Jason told me he took a look at our little traitor's medical record and that you were nearly surgical in the removal of his hand. The cut was a fraction of an inch from being fatal and a fraction of an inch from making it re-attachable. He can get a prosthetic hand, but that would require another huge chunk of his arm to be removed and would reduce his dexterity significantly."

"If he's going to go with the replacement, I would be happy to take off whatever they needed." Mykal said before he could censor himself.

"Yes, well, that's what I'm talking about. Hopefully Elaine and Brigit will be able to get you straightened out as to how you should react in the court and its environs. I tend to ignore it, but I have also grown up surrounded by it so I tend to handle it more on instinct than thinking about it. Plus I'm the King. I'm always right." he said with a wink.

"Unless of course your Queen says something to the contrary, dear husband." Elaine's voice came from the side door as she glided into the room. Smiling as both men stood, she kissed her husband on the cheek and gave a Mykal a warm smile.

"Well of course; that goes without saying." Hans immediately replied with a slight eye roll.

Elaine slapped his arm lightly with a chuckle. "Behave. Did you tell him?" she asked looking over to Mykal.

"Tell me what your....um, Elaine." Mykal asked, narrowly avoiding a slap.

Elaine raised an eyebrow and gave him a small smile. "That you will be raised to the peerage."

Mykal nodded, "He did. Though I still don't really understand the reasoning."

"Court is all about appearances. I know that you can handle yourself on the battlefield in an Armormech, but this is a warzone of a different kind. We are going to need you to be able to survive that minefield as well." The king sat and she opted to use his knee as a chair and sat herself down, adjusting her skirts. "Not all attacks to the family come from military aggressors. Now, once we arrive, I have to do some quick research, and then we can introduce you to court and give you the honors you deserve. Not only will it give you a bit more standing in court and a kind of armor," she gave him a knowing smile, "It shall also open doors for your future."

Mykal nodded his understanding, mulling over the possible ramifications this could have on his life. He looked up as the king cleared his throat a bit. "I understand you have an appointment with your doctor to go over your new enhancements. I wouldn't want you to be late."

Mykal's face took on a confused look for a moment before remembering that the king and queen had been in the room early that morning. Smiling somewhat sheepishly, he nodded and stood. "I will check in with you later in the evening, Sir." Hans nodded and waved towards the door.

Mykal bowed slightly and made for the door. Before he walked out, Elaine called to him. "Mykal, go easy on her; it wasn't entirely her fault."

"What about her uncle?" he asked looking over his shoulder at the two royals.

Hans gave him a mischievous smile. "Let him have it, within reason. It was his idea after all."

Mykal's eyes narrowed slightly and he smiled. "Good to know." he said softly as he walked out of the room, letting the doors slide shut.

Elaine looked at her husband with wide eyes, shocked at the look that had come from the young man. "Do you think we should warn him?"

"Jason? Not on your life. He needs to be taken down a peg or two every now and then. Besides, Brigit will keep him on a fairly even keel I'm sure."

Rolling her eyes, she made a tsking sound. "Unless she acts like her father and sets him off in the first place."

"Hmm. I hadn't thought about that." Hans mumbled. "Can't wait to hear about what happens."

*****

Making his way to the medical section of the ship Mykal made some mental notes as to what had been happening with his implants so that he could ask the right questions and know if the two doctors were leaving him in the dark about things. His gut clenched unexpectedly at the thought of Brigit knowingly deceiving him. He didn't want to believe that someone like her would be like that and based on his personal opinion, he didn't think she was. Yeah, but is that because she is a good person or because you want her to be a good person, seeing as you are attracted to her. Mentally shaking himself, Mykal tried to ignore the voice in his head, knowing that it brought up a very valid point.

Letting out a sigh, his thoughts turned to how he was beginning to feel for the small princess. You are in charge of her safety you can't mix business with pleasure. Mykal grimaced to himself, realizing he was beginning to seriously dislike his inner voice. Remembering how the king and queen had been acting though did make his train of thought detour for a bit. Okay, I'll give you that; it does seem like they are okay with it I guess. Maybe the voice wasn't too bad after all.

Turning down the corridor to the Med labs, Mykal saw his old friend was walking towards him. Looking up and seeing who was in front of him, Freddy's face broke out in a huge smile. "Congrats on the promotion there, Major!"

Mykal chuckled and returned the salute that Freddy had thrown at him. "Enough of that. It's nothing to make such a big deal out of."

Freddy scoffed. "Not that big a deal? Do you know how much people are talking about this? Top that off with what happened at the meeting yesterday and you are one hot topic."

"How much do people know?" Mykal asked carefully.

"Well, that you confronted Barovos and that he confessed to helping a traitor with the attempt on the royal family back on Orphus III; that he made a move to take out the king himself and that you stopped him by taking off his gun hand." Freddy smiled. "Never thought saber classes at the academy would come in handy for anyone."

Freddy's smile faltered a bit after a moment. "You may want to be careful though; there are a lot of folks that are really upset you are getting off scot free for confronting and assaulting a superior officer. There's some unhappy mutterings going on in the dark."

Mykal shrugged slightly, knowing that he was being a bit cavalier about the warning. "Anyone that wants to try and make a legal issue out of it is more than welcome. Fact of the matter is he's a dead man walking, with a witnessed confession to wartime treason and attempted assassination of the king. His breaths are numbered at this point. On top of that, I had already been assigned as the Commander of the Royal Lance, with official orders from the King himself; taking me out of the military chain of command and putting me above him." Mykal smirked. "Hell, if it would matter in any way we could tack on assaulting a superior, for when he smacked me."




Betrayal 06



Freddy's eyes bugged out. "He smacked you? What the hell for?"

Mykal shrugged, "Being in his face. He got jumpy because of how our conversation was going and just let fly with his open palm. Didn't hurt much and just served to embarrass him even more."

Freddy shook his head in wonder. "I need to head back to the hanger real quick; need to finish work on my 'Mech before we reach Phoronas II. Come on down to the hanger and we'll get lunch or something in the next couple days."

Mykal nodded and waved, making his way to the door leading to the infirmary and Med Lab. He was glad that Freddy had not thought to ask about what had been going on the last couple of days outside of what the rumor mill had spit out.

*****

Walking into the infirmary, Mykal looked around; making his way to the Med Lab. He was getting looks of curiosity and some recognition from the medics and doctors, some he assumed had helped with stabilizing Barovos. Not paying them any mind as he walked straight for the doors, he was surprised when a medical technician stepped in front of him, blocking the door.

Mykal's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Excuse me; I have an appointment with Doctor Davidov."

The tech smirked and looked the young officer up and down in an obviously degrading way. "I seriously doubt that. I know all of the Doctor and Brigit's appointments and I know I never saw you on it. You can leave now."

The slight buzz of talking and activity that is normal in a medical facility dropped to nothing, but the measured beeps of a couple pieces of equipment. "Excuse me?" Mykal said in a whisper.

"You heard me; see yourself out and don't come back until you actually have an appointment. Don't make me call security." the tech, who was only about an inch taller than Mykal, but lighter by about fifty pounds, took a menacing step forward.

Looking directly into the tech's eyes Mykal walked forward two steps, speaking in a clear and even tone. "The second most experienced medic here will need to contact security, as this technician will shortly need the most experienced, as he is keeping me from a meeting with two of my charges. Inform the commander of the watch that I have disabled the interloper and that once he is stable he is to be placed in the brig until we reach our destination; where he will then stand trial for threatening a member of the peerage, and the use of the familiar names of two members of the royal family."

Startled by the completely calm manner that Mykal just threatened his well being and way of life, "Just who the hell do you think you are to be making accusations like that?"

"I'm Mykal McDaniel; Commander of the Royal Lance and head of security for the royal family." Tilting his head to the side slightly, as if examining a strange creature, he asked, "And who exactly do you think you are to be confronting complete strangers, thinking that it is your right to try and control access to two of the royal family? I only ask because I like to know the name of the men whose careers I have a hand in decimating." At the stressing of the word 'hand', the tech's face drained of all color and he broke out into a sweat. Back pedaling a couple of steps, the technician put up his hands.

"Commander, I'm sorry; I didn't realize who you were. My deepest apologies; I swear I didn't mean anything by it."

"I asked you for your name. It is customary for one to answer questions put to you by higher ranking individuals. Of course, I could also tack on disrupting an investigation if you like." came the steely reply.

"Jacobies; Davis Jacobies is my name, Sir." was the stuttered reply.

"Mr. Jacobies, I assume that you report directly to Doctor Davidov?" Mykal asked.

"Y-Yes sir. I am his assistant."

"Hmm. I'll be sure to mention your lack of judgment to the good doctor. You will remain here until security arrives, you will explain to them in detail what you have done and you will accompany them to the brig. Do you have any questions?" The defeated look in the young technician's eyes said more than his mumbled affirmation. "Good. Make sure it happens."

Walking past the technician that had moved out of his way, Mykal walked through the doors into the Med Lab. Doctor Davidov looked up at him as he walked through the door, a slight grimace on his face.

"I figured I would have a bit more time before the coming of the end." he said with a slight smile.

"Well, I was going to go easy on you for being a complete ass about what you put in my head and deciding to hide it from me, since it may have been a good idea. However; your assistant, one Davis Jacobies, has pissed me off to no end so you will not be getting any breaks from me today."

"What did Davis do? He's just a technician...." Jason started to say.

"He tried to keep me from this meeting, using your given names without title, and being a giant pain in my ass. Now, what you should be worrying about right now is how you are going to convince me that I shouldn't punch you so hard that you forget your first year of medical school." Mykal flexed his fingers, making them pop slightly to emphasize his point.

"You don't seriously think you can get away with threatening me like that do you? I'll have your ass..."

Mykal cut him off by slamming his open palm on the metal medical table between them. "You have no idea what I am thinking right this moment. I am more than sure that I am within my rights, both as a patient and as the head of royal security, to beat your ass for your flagrant control tactics. It is not your place to determine what information you get to keep from me. It is well known royal law that you are to divest any and all medical information regarding my treatment to me as your patient. That can lose you your license, Prince or no Prince. The only thing keeping me from going completely crazy on you right now is that there are members of your family that would be disappointed in me if I acted that way, and that it would make me no better than the piece of shit whose hand I took off yesterday." Mykal's stormy grey eyes narrowed as he locked gazes with the very surprised Doctor. "Now, convince me that turning you in isn't a good idea."

Taking a deep breath, the doctor scrubbed a hand over his face, realizing that he had no idea the strength of will this young man had. "Mykal, my intention was never to hide any information from you. We, no, I felt that if we moved gradually, your control over the internal systems of your implants would be more rapid." Jason smiled ruefully. "From what Brigit tells me, you have already proven that you can control systems without even knowing they are there, and that I am completely mistaken. I have to admit, I am not happy with the fact that I am wrong. It doesn't happen often."

"The way you are talking, it sounds like there is a whole lot more to this junk you shoved in my head than you are letting on to." Mykal said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"There are a number of things that we installed in you. I assure you, everything we installed was in part because of how much damage your nervous system took in that battle." Jason sighed. "I don't think you understand how unbelievably lucky you are to be alive, let alone fully functional."

Mykal snorted derisively. "I might, if you didn't keep all this information from me and convince everyone that I should be in the dark."

"Mykal, ninety percent of your nervous system was on the verge of total burn out. It is a stroke of complete luck that the nerves keeping your heart pumping were some of the few that didn't completely fry. We had to completely re-build your system with nanorobotics, basically re-wiring you with synthnerves. Part of what we put in your head, controls and converts that nerve information to normal levels so that you don't overload yourself by touching a piece of fruit or hearing a bit of music."

"Twitch reflexes of a mongoose wouldn't happen to be a side effect; would it?" Mykal asked, a thoughtful look on his face.

"One of them, yes. Once you get control of yourself, you will be able to increase and decrease sensitivity of a large part of your nervous system as well."

"What else did you do to me?"

"From what I understand, you have figured most of it out. There is of course the control over more than one 'Mech and the extra storage in the computer system. Elaine showed you the ability to transfer information to others with similar levels of implants?"

Mykal nodded slightly, "I knew I could receive them, but I wasn't aware I could send them."

Jason nodded. "Yes, you can also send messages to major computer systems and download through them."

"I figured that one out this morning, when I downloaded a schematic for the ship from the main computer."

"Well, the only other thing I know of is that Brigit added a tracking program of her own design. Not sure what the details of that are though." Jason frowned slightly, "She was pretty adamant about not sharing details of that one for some reason."

Mykal looked Jason in the eyes, locking him into his stare. "That's all you put in or modified about me? I will find out if you are lying."

"That's everything I know about; I swear." Jason replied emphatically. "I swear to you that I had no intention of keeping anything from you, on the long term. I was just worried about you being able to handle everything at once."

A tingle ran up Mykal's spine as the door opened behind him. "Has he given you all the answers you need Mykal?"

Turning at the sound of her melodious voice, he took in the sight before him. She was in a knee length skirt and light, thin looking button up blouse made of some ridiculously, expensive looking fabric. All of this was covered by her calf length white lab coat. His eyes narrowed as he bowed slightly. "Princess."

The lightning flash of irritation in her eyes was all the warning he received before she moved, taking the two strides forward and lashing out with her right hand, intent on slapping him.

Mykal saw this, and his hand snaked up and snagged her wrist. What he didn't catch was the left hand that moved only a fraction of a second after the right. That hand, he caught with his right cheek. "You were warned, Major."

Jason's eyes were saucer sized at this point as he watched the staring contest between the two, lightning blue eyes flashing at his stormy grey. "Um, yes, well. I see that you have this under control Brigit, so I'll just step out and see if I can find a new assistant." Skirting around the two, he never stopped facing them until he backed out the door.

"Why do you insist on hitting me?" Mykal ground out between clenched teeth.

"Because you can't seem to catch on that when I tell you to do something, I mean It." was her terse reply.

Releasing her wrist, he backed away the half step so that he was leaning on the metal table behind him. "Why is it so important that I not refer to you by your given rank? You should have berated me for the one time I didn't."

Her shoulders slumped a bit and she looked away slightly. "I don't want to be just a princess to you. I'm a princess to everyone, except maybe my mom and dad. I wanted you to see me as just another girl." His eyebrows rose up his head and he realized how embarrassed she was by admitting this to him.

"You will always be my princess. There is no getting around that." Taking a deep breath and hurrying through his explanation, as he saw moisture start to cloud her eyes as she seemed to pull in on herself even more. "Even if I am able to call everyone in the family by their names and for a time, forget that they are my rulers, you will always be my Princess. That makes you special from every woman in the galaxy." He reached forward and wiped away a tear that spilled down her cheek, turning her face towards him and looking into her misty eyes. "I don't know exactly what that means for the future and I can't control how things will be, but that is how I feel."

Launching herself forward, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged close to his chest. Reflexively, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He could tell by her slight shaking that she was crying lightly, so he just held her, relishing how comfortable and natural it felt. After a few moments she pulled away a bit, sniffling slightly. "I'm such a mess." she mumbled as she wiped the tears from her face.

"You look beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He smiled down at her. "Besides, you're royalty; you are always right." Mykal frowned slightly, "Let's keep the crying to a minimum though; I'm really not a fan of seeing tears in your eyes." He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

She pouted slightly at the fact that he didn't kiss her for real, and it took all of his self control to not give in and give her what she obviously wanted. "Not yet Princess; there are details to be taken care of." he whispered to her.

She gave him a harrumph and pulled away slightly. "Besides, I'm supposed to be upset at you for keeping things from me; remember?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Like a tracking program, perhaps?"

Brigit had the good grace to look embarrassed that she was caught having kept something from him. "It's not as bad as it sounds." she frowned slightly. "And I'm really upset with Uncle Jason for telling you about it the way he did. I was going to tell you all about it myself."

Crossing his arms, Mykal smiled at her. "So enlighten me."

"Well it's a complex communication program that sends and receives signals through any and all wireless systems around you. 'Mechs, communicators, computer systems, ships; even satellites. It is constantly updating your internal computer system with the location of all of the royal family members." She paused and frowned. "Well, except for Marcus. I wasn't able to get a download into his system remotely, which probably means that he's not near a system that we control." She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "And you are updated to mine." she whispered.

Mykal broke out in a half smile. "Trying to keep tabs on me, Princess?"

Brigit sighed and moved over to a stool, sitting next to one of the other tables in the room. "You don't understand. I've been keeping tabs on you for years Mykal. I heard about what happened with Barovos, and looked you up. I was only 17 at the time, so I kind of had a crush on you. It was completely innocent, but it was like that white knight thing. You stood up for my honor, even though you wouldn't have gotten anything out of it, and you even damaged your career because of it." She smiled slightly. "When you were brought in to my operation table and Daddy said to save you no matter what expense or hardware was required, I knew it was because you had sacrificed to save us and I wasn't going to let you get away from me again." A blush crept up her neck and cheeks as she rushed out the last bit.

"Well Princess, I'm not going anywhere, so why don't you teach me how to use this stuff you and your uncle decided to shoehorn into my head?" Mykal said with a smile.

*****

Four and a half hours later, Mykal was making his way to the hangar bay, tracking Tobias with the new program he had just learned how to master. He had a piece of his mind following the movements of all the royals, paying the most attention to Brigit and her parents.

As he walked into the 'Mech hangar bay he heard raised voices coming from where his tracker told him Tobias was located. Worrying about the boy's safety, he jogged forward to find out what was going on.

What he found was not at all what he expected. Tobias was standing back behind the older Master Chief he had met only a couple of days before, while the enlisted man and his best friend, Freddy, were yelling at each other.

"What the hell is going on here?" he yelled as he walked up to the two men. Both men were startled out of their argument and spun to look at him. The master chief gave him a salute that he reflexively returned and Freddy just started talking.

"This enlisted is trying to tell me that I'm not allowed access to your Armormech, and I am trying to beat it into his thick skull that as your second in command , it's my job to make sure all the 'Mechs for the unit have been tested and inspected properly."

Mykal took a deep breath and realized that the conversation he didn't want to have with Freddy until after they landed wherever they were going, had to happen now. Letting go of his breath, he nodded slightly. "You are right, Freddy. My second in command is in charge of that." Freddy's face started to light up with a smug smile, "But, right now, that isn't you. Until we get planet side and we can do a full security profile, you can't be in the Royal Lance."

Freddy's jaw hit the floor. "But we've known each other for years; you know I can be trusted. Why the hell would I need a new security check? I had one when I became a pilot."

"Yeah, I do trust you. I do, but the crown can't just take my word for it. There are procedures they have to follow. If, no, when you pass those checks, we'll be working together again. Until then my hands are tied. "

"Hands are tied my ass. I've heard the talk. I bet if you asked that princess of yours real nice, she'd be able to get past it." Freddy retorted, the rage evident on his face.

Mykal's eyes narrowed dangerously as he immediately moved up into Freddy's face. "What did you just say?"

"Oh, c'mon man. It's me you're talking to. I saw you heading to the Med Lab; if she shot me down, she has to be all over you." Freddy never saw the punch coming; it moved so fast and he landed on the scaffolding, flat on his back.

Mykal picked him up by the front of his uniform tunic and held Freddy's face only inches from his own. His eyes as big as saucers and blood pouring out of his nose, Freddy was stunned speechless.

"You of everyone should know better than to say shit like that Freddy. The only reason I'm not going to beat you even harder than I just did is because you are like my brother." Mykal grated out quietly. "Now you need to go get your ass cleaned up, and you need to calm the fuck down and figure out what the fuck you were thinking, or you can kiss a chance at the Royal Lance goodbye. Do we understand each other?"

Freddy nodded quickly, and scrambled to his feet when Mykal let go of his shirt.

"Get the hell out of here Freddy, and don't let me hear about you making any more trouble, clear?"

"Yeah, man, we're clear. Crystal." Freddy muttered as he brushed past Mykal and headed for the hanger door.

Mykal watched him go, wondering what the hell had gotten into his friend. Shaking his head, he turned back to the Master Chief and Tobias. "Sorry about all that gentlemen. Not sure what the hell his problem is." Looking up at the 'Mech then back to the older man, "What was he doing?"

The Master Chief shrugged, "He was all over the Colonel's 'Mech, and while it's technically part of the Royal Lance, it's not an active combatant. He had no reason to inspect it, even if he was your second in command. The only people that really have that access are you, the Colonel, and I, as head of maintenance. "

Tobias crossed his arms over his chest. "When I asked him what he was doing, he told me 'to be a good little boy and scamper off'." Mykal's eyes got huge at this. The Master Chief nodded.

"I was working down the way a bit and heard him. Came on over, called him on it and pulled him out of the 'Mech. That's about when you came in."

Mykal shook his head. "I'll have to bring him up on charges of blatant disrespect of a higher ranking officer and a member of the royal family. No way around that." Mykal kicked a hand rail post. "Gods damn it Freddy, what in the Nine Hells where you thinking?" he said to himself. Looking up at the younger man, "Colonel, I'm going to have to ask you to put in a formal complaint. I'll need it for his file."




Betrayal 06



Tobias frowned. "Are you sure about that, Major? I mean it was just the two of us that really heard it..."

Mykal shook his head. "There are at least a dozen techs in here, and I guarantee that at least half of them caught some of what he said to you. If you don't nip this kind of thing in the bud, before long any officer that's older than you will be walking all over you. Have to set precedence." Shaking his head he muttered, "Even if he's a friend of mine."

Tobias nodded, "Alright then, I'll get to it right away." He saluted Mykal and headed for the opposite exit that Freddy had used.

"That's a sharp kid for his age. Makes me wish his brother had half the smarts." the Master Chief muttered.

Mykal looked over at the older man. "Prince Marcus you mean?"

"Mhmm. Kid had the back bone of a royal, could handle the entire political savvy just fine. Military stuff was just lost on him though. Always went with brute force methods. His instructors all agreed on that. Saw it myself a few times during the exercise maneuvers we had before the war started up."

Mykal looked over at the Master Chief. "There's more, I can see it on your face."

The Master Chief grimaced and chewed on the corner of his lip in thought. "This goes no further than the two of us, Sir?"

Mykal nodded, "I promise. I just need to know more about this guy."

"This is just my personal opinion, not gospel truth, but the kid always had a chip on his shoulder. Was really chummy with that little lordling you had a run in with yesterday. Started real soon after you and the little prick had your fallin' out. "

Mykal rolled his eyes a bit. "Gods, does everyone know about that? How many damn officers are there in our 'Mech corps, and everyone remembers me?"

"Son, I've been working on the Royal Lance 'Mechs for most of my really damn long career. I pick up things that have to do with the royal family. I may not be on the front line, but I'm just as hardcore as the rest of you about making sure that family stays safe." the older man said with a grimace.

Mykal nodded. "Understood, Master Chief. Speaking of keeping them safe, what kind of lance do I have to work with?"

The Master Chief grimaced, "Not much to be perfectly honest. We have three functioning 'Mechs," he said pointing to Tobias' 'Mech. "That's one of 'em."

"What are the other two?" Mykal asked; looking up at the medium assault type 'Mech, noting that it was a bit better armored and armed than his old machine, but not near as fast or responsive.

"Two Valkyrie Interceptors." Mykal whistled and his eyes got big. The Master Chief nodded. "Thems my babies. Closest things we have to Omnis."

"Well I'm glad that at least one rumor was true." Mykal muttered. "Do we have pilots for those?"

The older man made an uncomfortable shrug. "Yeah, sort of."

Mykal raised an eyebrow. "Sort of? Expound on that a bit for me, Master Chief."

"Pretty much everyone was killed trying to get everyone out. The only two pilots we have that are cleared both in skill and security clearance are you and the young Prince."

"Oh." was all Mykal said. "Something tells me his mother would have my hide if I used him to protect the rest of the family."

Master Chief Brockton chuckled. "You couldn't pay me enough to be the one to tell her that you were gonna do it. Her Majesty scares the pants off of even me."

Mykal scrubbed his face with both hands, checked his internal clock and groaned at the late hour. The king was expecting him soon. "Who knows, maybe I can get the King to break it to her. I have a meeting with him soon anyway. I'll see if I can get us a couple more pilots; see what you can do about putting us in the pipeline for new machines."

Brockton nodded. As Mykal turned for the door, the older man put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about the rumors your friend mentioned. They aren't bad as all that. Most of them actually make it seem like a good thing. He was putting an ugly light on it." Mykal sighed and nodded.

"Thanks, Master Chief. Keep me updated on the 'Mech hunt."

"Will do, Sir."

*****

Mykal sat back into the couch in the sitting room that Brigit, the two royals, and himself had retired to after having an early supper. Brigit settled next him, her legs curled up under her, one knee barely touching the side of his leg. A touch he was acutely aware of as he sipped his scotch. Brigit was smiling back and forth with her mother, both of which were enjoying a glass of wine. Hans refreshed his own drink and sat in a large overstuffed chair with a sigh.

"As comfortable as this ship can be, I really can't wait to get off this thing. The constant hum and the scrubbed air are getting old."

Mykal nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind getting on some solid ground. Some time in a real 'Mech would be nice to. I feel like I'm losing my touch with only using simulators."

"I'm looking forward to you getting in the real thing too." Brigit said with a smile. "Maybe you'll be able to get something right without having to be tricked." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear as she pulled her glass to her lips.

Elaine giggled slightly a moment later. "Do they do this all the time?" Mykal asked the king.

"Do what?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"They are having a data packet conversation. Started at dinner; hasn't stopped since."

Hans' jaw dropped as he looked between the two women.

Elaine smiled broadly. "I told you he was a quick one."

Brigit slapped Mykal's shoulder lightly. "Way to ruin the secret."

Hans shook his head and took a sip of his brandy. "Well, that explains a lot."

Brigit smiled. "Mom and I are almost always 'talking'. We've been doing it for years now." She giggled, "Its part of the reason I developed the programming for it."

Mykal sent a data packet to both women at once. [So it's going to be like that; is it?]

Both women answered out loud at the same time. "Yep." They both started giggling uncontrollably.

"Not you too Mykal; we have to show a united front." Hans said in a pleading tone.

"Do you really think we would have any chance of out maneuvering these two?" Mykal asked with an eyebrow raised.

"You have a point."

Mykal took another sip of his drink. "So when exactly are we expecting to arrive at Phoronas II?" he asked the king casually, just making small talk.

The crash of the glass as it slipped from the king's fingers in surprise snapped all of Mykal's attention directly on the King.

"How did you know where we are going? That information was locked down only hours into the flight; you were in ICU." the king asked tersely.

Mykal's eyes went wide. "I heard it in passing from...." Bolting out of his seat he made a beeline for the door. "Security to Lieutenant Freddy Davidson's quarters; make sure that you are armed. Take him into custody, but do not move him until I get there."

"Mykal! What's going on?" Brigit yelled after him as he ran out the door.

Turning briefly, "It looks like your brother had more moles than we thought."



Betrayal 07



Mykal ran through the corridors, his mind racing as he sent messages to various people and parts of the ship. He had the communications department shut down all outbound transmissions, until further notice from himself or the King. He put Royal Security on high alert and sent notices to both Vivian and Tobias that they are to move to their parents' location, due to security lockdown, immediately. He also tagged a notice to their personal guards that they were to move them if they didn't move on their own.

Slowing to a trot as he reached the corridor that Fred's quarters were located on, he noticed that security had not entered yet.

"What's the holdup Captain?" He asked as he walked up to the group of on ship marines.

Giving Mykal a quick salute, the captain grimaced. "The door is on lockdown, and for some reason, our security override isn't working."

A chill ran down Mykal's back. "Well, now I know who hit my rooms." Mykal focused for a moment, accessed the ship's security computer and threw his newly minted access codes at the locked down section that contained Fred's quarters.

There was a faint click as the lock seemed to release. "Do your thing Captain; I'll open the door your team needs to move in. Remember though, no lethal force, we must take him in one piece."

"Understood, Sir. Breach team in place; weapons on knockout." The team of four marines moved forward, flipping selector switches on their hand weapons.

"Computer, override personal locks and open doors, now!" Mykal barked to the ships computer.

The doors slid open and the marines slid quickly and silently into the room. In a matter of moments, there was the sound of weapons being discharged, a few muffled grunts and the distinct sound of two bodies hitting the floor.

"All Clear, Sirs!" came the call as one of the marines returned to the door.

Mykal nodded, followed the marine captain into the room and looked around at the minor damage and disarray that the room must have been in before they even entered. As they entered the back room, Mykal's stomach sank as he saw his friend handcuffed and laying on the floor, the scorch mark of a blaster round on the side of his chest. Next to him was another man, one he recognized from his file as the navigation officer that had been locked out of the system, Nomoro.

"Why'd you do it Freddy?" Mykal whispered. He looked up at the marine Captain. "Take these two and lock them up in separate cells. Don't make them comfortable." he said in a steely voice.

******

Mykal walked into the royals' sitting room about an hour later, his energy drained and his feet dragging. Brigit rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him, as soon as he was in the room. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling the warmth radiating from her that had seemed to seep out of him in the last hour.

He looked into the ashen faces of the king and queen as they sat on the couch. "They know where we are going. Communications show that there were a series of transmissions sent to a relay station. After digging through the transmission records, they were sent to Carthanian space. From what we can tell they gave them a confirmation that all of you survived, when we were expected to make orbit, and where we were going. They were in the process of uploading a report of what forces we have on the ship and available overall, but that was interrupted when I had comms shut everything down." Brigit pulled away slightly, led him to one of the couches and sat him down.

"Well, at least they don't know everything. Do you have any idea how much information they were able to obtain?" Hans asked.

Mykal shook his head. "They didn't know much. Only thing they had right was what we have on the ship. They had access to a force account file, but it was the one that was barely secured." Mykal looked Hans in the eyes and sent him a data pack. [They found, but couldn't open the real file; it was completely secure. We need to talk about that later, by the way.]

Hans nodded. "Yes we do, but not tonight. Was it just Davidson then?"

Mykal shook his head. "Nomoro was in on it too. I am having the captain verify the course headings to make sure there isn't anything hinky going on. When he is done with that, he is going to pour on a bit more power, since we have the spare reactor mass, to speed up our arrival time. He should be updating us both when he has an ETA." Taking a deep breath and releasing it, "I'm going to have the Royal Guard captain do the questioning of Fred, since I am too close to the situation."

"Understandable and good call. I wish we had more time for you to get your feet under you, but things seem to be escalating fast." Looking at each of his children, Hans added, "I'm going to order an extra two guards each, for all of us. Just in case." Looking pointedly at Mykal, "That goes for you as well."

Tobias nodded as if he expected it, Vivian rolled her eyes as if they would just be underfoot more than usual and Brigit shrugged as if it didn't bother her at all. Jason cleared his throat. "Do you think it necessary for us to have that many in the Med Lab? Hells, I don't know if we have that much room."

"Until we make the planet, I want exposure to the rest of the ship limited, Jason. Unless it's an emergency, I really don't want you to leave the Royal quarters." Mykal replied. Before Jason did more than open his mouth, Mykal cut him off. "I promise your research won't be ruined by the interruption, and even if it was, you being alive and well are far more important to me than your projects." The smile he gave the doctor never reached his eyes. "And right now, what's important to me is what is important to the kingdom. Sorry Doc." Jason frowned, but nodded his agreement.

Hans stood, helping his wife up. "Let's everyone try and get some rest. We are no doubt going to have a very busy day tomorrow. Good night children, Jason."

Vivian and Tobias stood, and both wished them good night. Mykal waved to them half heartedly, and barely even noticed when Jason left.

Sitting on the couch with Brigit cuddled up to him, silently just being there for him, his thoughts ran wild. Trying to figure out why Freddy had done what he had. Every path he could think of was met with a brick wall. Not even realizing it, tears started to run down his cheeks as the pain in his chest overwhelmed him. Holding him close, Brigit lightly rubbed his back as Mykal began to cry out his pain as the emotional devastation of his friend's betrayal hit home.

*****

Mykal woke slowly, his head throbbing and his mouth dry. As memories of the night before came back, he felt a tightening in his chest. No matter how he looked at it, Fred, the best friend he'd ever had, the closest thing to a brother, had a hand in the betrayal of the crown. How deep was he? How much damage had he done? Thinking back on the way things unfolded on Orphus III, there were little things that came to mind, things that he had suppressed in the heat of battle and not thought back on.

Trying to lift his right arm, to run it through his hair, he realized that it was pinned down under the weight of a body. Immediately, he became aware of the warmth pressed to his side. Looking down, he saw that Brigit was curled up against him, seemingly still asleep. He thankfully noted that they were still clothed before the final memories of last night came back to his exhaustion muddled mind.

She had held him as he cried out the pain of betrayal and when he had finally stopped what seemed hours later, she handed him a strong glass of scotch and ordered him to drink it down in one go. She then helped him to his feet and led him down the corridor to her quarters, where she told him in no uncertain terms he was sleeping, and that she was not going to leave him alone at a time like this. After he had removed his tunic and boots, she slipped out of the room and returned in a modest set of pajamas and robe, and curled up against his side. He then promptly fell into a deep and thankfully dreamless sleep. He looked down at her head, wondering if she had handed him more than just a drink of scotch.

"Yes, there was a sedative in the drink; that's why your mouth is dry." Mykal gave a small start at her response to his unasked question. "And no, you didn't ask out loud; I just know how you think and that you would have asked yourself that question, at some point, after you woke up."

"How long have you been awake?" he asked softly, running a hand through her hair.

"Since before you came around. You moved around a bit before you came to, some deep down dream, I think. I wasn't sleeping very deeply." she said as she looked up into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I woke you." he whispered, looking deep into her eyes, searching them for what she was thinking.

She smiled coyly. "It's not your fault; I'm not used to having anyone else in my bed. It was nice though, all things considered."

Checking his internal clock, Mykal groaned. "Damn it's late." Then his eyes got big. "Your father is going to skin me alive."

"He's fine; mom will explain the situation to him."

"And what exactly is our situation?" he asked softly.

Brigit sighed. "Right now? We can't be anything more than close friends. As much as I want you to see me as something other than a princess, that's what I am and I have to maintain appearances." She felt him tense up underneath her cheek as if expecting a painful blow. "That aside, know this; you will be mine. I'm not letting you go for any reason. You better accept it now because that's not going to change." she said fiercely.

Mykal let go of a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and chuckled. "I thought it was the guy that was supposed to be all controlling and possessive."

Brigit looked up and smiled at him. "Yes, but I'm a Princess; I can do and have whatever I want." She cuddled into his chest. "And I want you."

Laying his head back and closing his eyes to relieve his head ache a bit, he hugged her closer to him. "Who am I to deny my Princess?" he whispered before he fell asleep again.

*****

Waking about an hour later, Brigit eased off the bed, making sure not to disturb Mykal. Looking down at his peaceful sleeping form, she felt her heartbeat quicken and her chest tighten. Trailing her finger down his cheek, his face reflexively moved to maintain the contact.

She smiled slightly and bent down to kiss him softly on the cheek before turning away. Walking to her bathroom, she turned on the shower and disrobed. As she cleaned herself, the heat of the water and steam melted away the tension the day before had created in her neck and back. Mentally she sent a note to her mother. [I'm starting to get ready; I'll be getting Mykal up after I get out of the shower.]

As she was rinsing the soap from her hair, she received the tell tale tingle of a message from her mother. [Your father wasn't happy about Mykal staying with you, but he understands it. He got the ball rolling on questioning all three of the prisoners. The ship captain gave us an updated timeframe and we need to move fast. So how was it by the way?]

Getting out of the shower, she dried off and started to put on lotion. [We did nothing but sleep mother. We are going to do this the right way. I'm not going to risk anything coming between us.]

Putting on her robe, she went back into her bedroom and saw that Mykal was already awake and sitting up in the bed. Blushing and biting her lower lip at the hungry look he was giving her, she completely forgot what she was doing.

Standing up, Mykal walked towards her slowly, his gaze never leaving her. "You know, that whole friends only idea is going to be really difficult to keep up if you dress like this around me much more."

Giving him an impish smile, she whispered, "Well, according to the ship's captain we have even less time than we thought to wait. I wouldn't want you to get off easy, so I'll just have to make it a little harder for you." Turning with a little bounce, she walked into her closet to get dressed. "My dad knows you are up; you may not want to hang around for too long." She giggled at the muffled curse and thumping as he made his way out the door in a hurry. She sent a message to her mother. [He's on his way to his room now, so he won't be long.]

*****

Walking into the security office, Mykal's eyes immediately went to the monitor showing Freddy's cell. Stopping and standing next to the king, his eyes flicked over the monitors showing the other two prisoners before landing back on Freddy.

"Morning, Sir. Have they given up any new information?" he asked in a subdued voice, pain of betrayal still throbbing in his chest.

"Nothing yet, but the questioning hasn't been going on long. Barovos is trying to bluster his way out, Nomoro is saying that he was coerced and Davidson isn't saying anything. He hasn't even acknowledged the questioner. " Hans looked over at the younger man. "I mean this with as much love as I can must for another man, but you look like warmed over shit. You sure you are up to this right now?"

"Doesn't really matter if I am or not does it, Sir? We have only half a day until we drop out of hyper-travel, and we need to know what is going on and if there are any other traitors on this ship before we land. If even one makes it out, it gives Marcus a leg up that we really don't want him to have." He looked back over the monitors. "Would you consider this an act of war, Sir?"

"Yes, I suppose it is. A direct assault on the crown would be considered an act of war."

"So would you say we are at war with a rebel element, whose goal is to kill the royal family in order to cause political and military instability?" Mykal asked looking directly at his king.

Hans nodded. "Well, putting it that way, then yes, I would say we are at war."

"Good; seems we have us three captured enemy spies, whose goal was espionage and sabotage." Mykal said nodding.

The king's eyes went the size of saucers. "Mykal, you can't possibly mean to..." The look in the young man's eyes, when he looked at Hans, stopped him short.

"I mean to find out how deep this rot is, but I'm not going to do it illegally. As King, you have the ability to declare war; which you just kind of did. These three men are exactly as I said; spies and saboteurs. Hell, Barovos is even a thwarted assassin. That gives me all the leeway I need. Unless you want to order me not to go to whatever legal extreme is required to get the information I need, then I will. Starting with that piece of shit, Barovos."

Hans put a hand on Mykal's shoulder before he could leave the room. "I won't order you not to do this, but I do want you think of something while you are in there. You are a warrior, and I have no doubt that you would have no qualms doing whatever you had to in order to get the information you want. Just think of how she will feel about whatever you do, were she to find out."

"All of this is for you, your wife, your son and your daughters. Especially...her. To be honest with you, Sir, she is all that is keeping me on an even keel right now. As much as I honor and respect you and your wife, as people and my King and Queen, if she were ever disappointed in me, it would destroy me. As much as it would destroy me if she were hurt because I didn't do my job in protecting all of you. I promise you that I will never forget that."

Hans nodded, let go of Mykal's shoulder and turned back to the monitors.

Mykal walked into Barovos' cell and set three items down on the table in front of him. A hydrosyringe, a shock baton and his saber sat in neat order in front of the prisoner, just out of reach of his shackled hand; his other arm ending in a bandage covered stump. "What the hell do you think you are doing here Captain? You have no right to even speak to me. When my father gets done with you, you won't even be able to get a job operating a power lifter." He let out a snort that sounded more nervous than insulting, "If he doesn't take your hand off for what you did to me."

Mykal calmly sat down in front of the obviously self delusional man. "Well, Trenton, as the King has now declared war on Marcus and any who sides with him, I seriously doubt your father will be doing much in your favor or on your behalf. You see, you are now a self incriminated spy, saboteur and assassin. There are a dozen witnesses and videos documenting this. From what I understand, we have already received word from your family that you have been disowned, and they want nothing to do with you or your treasonous plots. We have a few of your accomplices, and all communication with your benefactor has been cut off." Mykal watched as Trenton's eyes widened slightly and he started to sweat even more.

"That's a lie! My father would never disown me, especially over some trumped up allegations."

"Considering he heard your words himself, and saw your actions as you assaulted a member of the Royal Guards, and pulled a weapon and attempted to assassinate the king, a very old friend of his from what I understand; he was fairly hasty in his move to disown you." Mykal gave him a dark smile, "He even complimented me in my sword work. I understand he is fairly handy with a sword himself. Oh, and it's Major now by the way. I won't add that to your rather extensive list of charges."

Standing up, Mykal picked up the hydrosyringe and checked the readout on it casually. "We know you are a traitor and traitors are executed in times of war. Usually this is done fairly humanely; a simple injection and you go to sleep and never wake up. However, you are not only a traitor; you are an assassin." He set down the injector and picked up the saber. "That would normally mean that you would face beheading, after you are found guilty at your trial. Make no mistake you would be."

Setting down the saber, Mykal picked up the shock baton. "Luckily for me though, you are also a spy and saboteur, as admitted by your own words to me in front of at least half a dozen witnesses. Two of which are the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Davidov. That means I can torture you in whatever way I want to find out what information you passed on, who worked for you and who is left." Mykal depressed the trigger button, sending a crackle of white lightning arching between the two leads at the end of the baton, making Barovos jump at the cracking sound it made. "The other captives are being questioned in much the same way as we speak. Make no mistake; I volunteered to 'question' you. I fully intend to enjoy pulling every little bit of information out of your sorry excuse for a brain before I let them take whatever is left, to be executed and jettisoned like trash out into space."

Barovos' eyes at this point were wild and darting around the room, as if he could find a way to escape the man who had just admitted he was going to essentially torture him to death. "Y-you can't do this. You are the one that always follows the rules; the one that does the right thing!"

"You are absolutely right, Trenton, I am. And the right thing to do is to char your miserable carcass with this baton, until you tell me every person you had ever worked with on this plot to kill your king. Now, if you give me names and they do in fact turn out to be traitors, I will refrain from cooking you and you get the clean death of the sword. You know firsthand that it will be clean and quick." Mykal said with a smirk as he advanced around the table, the baton held low and pointed towards the prisoner.

"I'll give you all the names I know, but you have to give me your word as an officer that I get to use the poison." Barovos said hastily, trying to inch away from the baton.

Mykal stopped, tilted his head as if he was thinking about it while examining the man before him, as if he could not figure out what exactly it was. "Okay, you give up all the names you know and I'll let you inject yourself with this." he said as he picked up the injector, "After we check out the names. Start talking."




Betrayal 07



Barovos started spouting off names of people that were involved and Mykal sent a data pack to the security computer, while he pulled a roster of everyone on the ship. Most of the names that he was given were people that had died on Orphus III and he winced when Freddy's name was mentioned. According to Barovos, he had joined the 'rebellion' of his own free will, while the navigator Nomoro was in fact telling the truth in that he had been coerced into his betrayal, by threat of his daughter being kidnapped and killed. There were only two more people from the list still on board that had not been arrested. Sending orders through the computer, to have the two siezed immediately and brought in to be questioned, Mykal picked up the saber, re-sheathed it at his hip and clipped the baton to his belt.

Pushing the injector close enough that Barovos could reach out and pick it up, he stepped back. "Seems that the people you gave up are mostly the same as what the other two prisoners gave us. A deal is a deal, Trenton. You have two minutes to inject yourself in the neck with that. Any last words?"

Picking up the hydrosyringe with a shaking hand, he looked up at Mykal and swallowed, his eyes narrowing. "You will never be able to stop Marcus. He is smarter than you can imagine. I hope he kills you slowly and painfully." Jerking his hand up, he pressed the injector to his neck and triggered the injection.

Mykal looked him in the eyes and let a large smile spread over his face. "Enjoy the saline solution. I'll see you after we land."

Trenton's eyes got huge. "You lied to me; you said I could die peacefully! You gave your word!"

"You are right in that I gave my word. I gave my word that I would let you inject yourself with what was in the injector. I never said it was poison. Did you really think I would give a piece of shit like you the easy way out?" Mykal barked harshly. "No, you get to face your family and die the death you deserve."

Mykal ignored the yells of rage directed at him as he walked out the door.

*****

Walking back into the control room, Mykal handed the shock baton back to the Marine captain who was looking at him in awed respect. "Sir, you are one cruel and devious som'bitch . I'm really glad you are on our side."

Hans chuckled, "I'd agree with the captain, but knowing what I do, that particular term of endearment may get me in trouble in the future." Looking back to the monitor showing a raging Barovos, he nodded. "How did you know that he'd go for the injection thing?"

Mykal shrugged. "He's a coward. Was born a coward, raised a coward and even as an officer in the pilot corps, he was a coward and boot licker. The injection is the most painless and peaceful. A coward's way out. There is no way he would have faced a violent end if there was another option. Just having the injector there, gave his mind options he imagined for himself. I didn't have to even suggest it as an option."

"And to think Elaine was worried about you in the court." Hans snorted.

Mykal shook his head, as he watched Freddy ignore the questioner that was trying to interrogate him. "I figured out she's not worried about me being able to survive court. She's afraid of what I'll do to them if I treat them like I do everyone else." To emphasize his point, he pointed at the image of the still raging Barovos. "A court full of that, when I get done with them wouldn't be very effective for getting things done."

Hans laughed out loud. "Oh, I don't know; it could be pretty entertaining."

"Sir, it's my job to keep people from wanting and trying to kill you. Not increase the number. Not to mention it would tick off your wife." Mykal gave him a tight lipped smile. "And I'm more afraid of her than I am of you. No offense."

The Marine captain made a choking sound as he heard this, and Mykal would have sworn he heard a cough covering up a laugh, from one of the body guards at the door.

"Elaine was absolutely right. You are pretty quick." was Hans' laughing reply.

Mykal turned his attention back to the monitors. The two new prisoners were being locked into their interrogation rooms amidst yells and protests. Grimacing at one of the monitors, Mykal groaned. "Master Chief Brockton is going to be pissed." he mumbled.

"Why's that, Commander?" The marine asked him.

"Because he's going to have to go over every one of the 'Mechs on board with a fine tooth comb." He pointed at the younger of the two new prisoners. "That's one of the senior technicians down in the hanger."

"Hmm. That's weird; we just released this guy this morning. How did we not catch that?" the Marine Captain mumbled, looking over the information scrolling under the picture of the other prisoner that had just been brought in.

"Davis Jacobies? Yeah, that one kind of surprised me a bit, and the fact that he has had direct and uncontrolled access to Prince Jason and Princess Brigit kind of pisses me off to no end." Mykal said. "He was in here because of a little confrontation I had with him yesterday." Something clicked in his head. "Freddy was meeting with him yesterday. That's why he was leaving the Med Lab when I ran into him. He let slip about our destination when we talked in the corridor. Jacobies gave me a hard time and tried to deny me access to the Prince and Princess. That's why he was down here. I put in a report yesterday evening after I had calmed down, to have him released this morning, not knowing he had anything to do with this."

"What should we do with the prisoner Davidson? He refuses to talk." the captain asked.

Mykal took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Truth serum and force. I want names." He looked at the monitor again. "After, I talk to him."

Unclipping his sheath from his belt, he handed it to the king. "Its better I don't go in there with a weapon. Don't want to be tempted, depending on what he says."

*****

As he walked into the room, he let the doors slide shut and mentally keyed the lock.

Freddy smiled as Mykal sat down in front of him. "I was wondering when you were going to come down here."

"I wasn't going to, but I changed my mind."

"It was you that clued them into the two of us, weren't it?" Freddy asked. Mykal nodded once. "It was the planet thing, wasn't it?" Again Mykal nodded once. "Damn, I figured you would have known where we were heading since you started shacking up with the princess."

Mykal took a deep breath to calm himself, clenching his fists until the knuckles cracked.

"Oh yeah, not a good idea for me to insult the pure and beautiful Princess, now is it?" Fred snorted. "Hell, like you would do anything to me; I'm a bound prisoner. You'd never hit a guy that couldn't fight back. So tell me, how is she in the sack? All that red hair, I bet she's a freak, isn't she?"

The slam and sickening crunch of Mykal smashing the hand Fred had sitting on the table, came out of nowhere. Fred let out a bellow as he cradled his smashed appendage to his chest.

Catching his breath, he yelled at Mykal. "You fucking assaulted a bound prisoner! You are going to go down for that, you stupid ass. I hope you enjoy not having a career."

"You are the second person to try and threaten my career today. I figured you had more imagination than Barovos." Mykal said calmly, as he sat back down. "I can do anything I want to you. His Majesty has declared war on the rebels led by his disowned son, Marcus, and his associates. You are a captured spy and saboteur. We can legally use any method to get information out of you that we want."

Freddy's eyes went the size of tea plates and the color drained from his face. "Thankfully for you, I am not going to be the one interrogating you. That is unless you don't cooperate with the nice marine captain that will be in here to talk with you in a bit." Mykal said calmly, his voice dripping malice.

"I just want to know one thing, Fred. Why?" Mykal whispered; the pain his friend had caused leaking through into his voice, despite his best efforts.

Fred looked at Mykal for a long moment, and finally sighed with a shrug. "I guess I owe you that much. Marcus promised me money and power. I was never destined for greatness. Not like you were. Well, at least until you got all righteous on Barovos. I never did like that prick." Freddy said, muttering the last part.

He looked Mykal in the eyes. "I was supposed to try and recruit you. Marcus wanted you bad, but after that thing with Barovos, he knew that you would never turn on the family and help him with a coup. That's why your career got trashed and Trenton's continued, with none the wiser as to what really went down. He was going to have you taken out, but I convinced him that we would be able to make sure you died on the battlefield; that you deserved better than shot in the dark or a knife in the back." Freddy chuckled. "Boy did I fuck that one up. If not for you and your damn in-ability to die, I'd be sitting pretty right now."

Mykal was silent for a moment before he nodded and stood. "You are going to be tortured for information and you are going to scream in pain until you give us everything we ask for. Then, when we have no more use for you, we will execute you and dump you in an unmarked grave or some incinerator somewhere. Your mother is going to receive a copy of everything you just told me and I will tell her you died a traitor's death. I will comfort her when her heart breaks, after she finds out what you did to your family, kingdom and best friend. Your little sister, Samantha, will curse your name and your father will disown you. You will be purged from the memories of everyone that ever cared for you. You will have caused all of that pain for absolutely no reason."

Mykal's eyes darkened and his face hardened. Freddy was certain he was looking at death personified when he spoke again, "I tell you this because I want you to know with certainty that I will put an end to this; Marcus will be brought to kneel before his king and made to pay for his treason. Know in your heart that your betrayal and deceit did nothing, but make this kingdom stronger in spite of you. Good bye Fred, you will never see me again. I hope your death is at least as painful, as your betrayal was to everyone you hurt." The last time he looked on his former friend's face, it was ashen, wet with the chilled sweat of fear and trembling. At that moment, his friend was dead to him.



Betrayal 08



Exiting the room, he saw that the king was waiting for him in the hallway with the marine captain. The King's bodyguards and his own were covering the two ends of the corridor, doing their best to look like pieces of the wall.

"Captain, he's all yours. Get everything you can from him; treat him like any other prisoner. If he resists, treat him accordingly." Mykal said in a calm voice.

The Captain nodded and entered the room, a small black case in his hands.

Hans walked up to him, put his hands on Mykal's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Are you okay son?"

Mykal took a deep breath and nodded. "My friend Freddy died years ago. I just didn't know it until today. The man in there is just another traitor."

Nodding, the king turned them towards the exit of the security center. "We only have a few hours until we drop out of hypertravel; then about 9 hours of in system travel. You and I need to talk about some things, hopefully without the interference of those wonderful women in our lives."

Mykal gave a mirthless chuckle. "Good luck with that one, Sir. I've gotten half a dozen messages from Brigit already this morning, asking how things are going, and she is going to know as soon as I leave the security center."

Hans lifted an eyebrow. "The leash is that tight already?"

"Apparently it was that tight before I even woke up from the battle. She snuck a tracking program in on me. At least it goes two ways." Mykal said with a grin.

"You can track her? What kind of range?" The king asked, as they walked down the corridor towards the royal section of the ship.

"According to her, anywhere there is a wireless connection to any of our communications." He shrugged, "There hasn't been much opportunity to test it since I found out about it yesterday. She's with Elaine by the way. They are waiting in the Queen's sitting room."

"We'll go to my study then." the King said. "I sent a message to Elaine and she said she'll give us a half an hour." Mykal nodded.

Taking a seat in the office, each with a glass of whiskey, the king looked carefully at Mykal, who seemed to be somewhat lost in his thoughts as he looked into the golden liquid in his glass.

"Since we have a time limit, I'm not going to beat around the bush. What are your intentions with Brigit?" Hans' eyes narrowed when Mykal started to chuckle. "That wasn't a joke."

"Oh, I know, Sir. I'm laughing because I have no idea." Mykal took a sip of his drink. "No, that's not right. I do have an idea. A plan even, though it is admittedly not very fleshed out and probably hopelessly outclassed by whatever Brigit and Elaine have cooked up." Looking his king in the eyes he continued in a clear and steady voice. "I am about as sure as I can be that I am in love with your daughter and I would like more than anything to ask her to be my wife. However, seeing as she is a Princess of the Kingdom and under certain obligations, and that she is her mother's daughter, it is infinitely more complicated than that." Mykal sighed slightly. "At this point, I am going to have to wait on the two of them."

The king took this in silently and nodded when Mykal had stopped speaking. "I have a very small inkling what Elaine is thinking, but I am sworn to secrecy." He smirked at Mykal. "Sorry."

The younger man shrugged. "I figured as much. I just need to be patient and see what they have planned. I'm sure it is going to have to wait until we reach Phoronas II."

Hans shook his head. "I am constantly surprised by you Mykal. I can only imagine how much more formidable you would be had you been raised with access to court."

"I'd probably be one of those guys that I don't really like, and I'm pretty sure that Brigit would have no interest in me."

Hans chuckled and raised his glass slightly before taking a sip. "I'm pretty sure you are right."

****

Mykal stood on the bridge of the massive ship, a pace behind the king and queen, as they watched over the bridge crew preparing to drop out of hyper travel and begin the final portion of their journey. Brigit stood next to him, occasionally brushing her hand against his and smiling to herself. He only spared a few moments every now and then to look down at the red haired beauty standing next to him. Every member of the royal family was present on the visitors deck of the bridge, and the number of regular crew that were around made him nervous as he constantly watched over the proceedings.

Looking down at Brigit, he saw that she was in a fairly bright and happy mood, though the tightness around her bright green eyes was evidence that she was a touch distracted. Tobias stood next to his sister Vivian, his bright young eyes taking in every detail of military action happening on the bridge while he chatted quietly with Vivian.

Looking withdrawn and somewhat lost, she maintained only enough conversation to keep Tobi from prying too much, though it was obvious that her mind was nowhere near where she was standing.

Scratching at the back of his head, Mykal continued to look over the command center of the ship, his eyes following the ship captain for a short while, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Not seeing anything strange, his eyes twitched to the far side of the observation deck where Jason sat huddled over a computer tablet, looking incredibly stressed out, as if his research was not telling him what he wanted to know. He's probably just stressing out about his assistant being a traitor. Mykal thought to himself, shaking his head slightly. Mentally checking his implant for new messages again and finding none, he turned his attention to the growing amount of activity that was beginning to happen.

Seeing him shake his head, Brigit leaned in and whispered, "Something wrong Mykal?"

Mykal shook his head, scratching at an itch on the side of his head. "No, just think I need a bit more practice with the message program; I'm thinking every little thing is an incoming message. I'll get the hang of it."

Brigit's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she studied him, watching him look over the increasing activity in the navigation pit of the command center.

"We'll be dropping out of Hyper in fifteen seconds, Captain." one of the helmsman reported. "Ten, nine, eight, cutting primary drive coils, five, four, redirecting secondary drive to break; Now!" came the call from the lieutenant in command of the helmsmen.

There was a drastic shift in the engine sound and vibration of the ship, as they decelerated from over three thousand to seventy times the speed of light. Whining with the increased load, the gravitational damper worked as intended; making sure the down shift in inertia didn't cause the entire compliment of life forms and every piece of equipment inside from becoming a very creamy paste.

A wave of nausea washed over Mykal as the ship continued to decelerate, though at a much slower rate. His knees felt a bit weak and he stumbled slightly, catching hold of a console to steady his self as he shook off a sudden and persistent headache that had bloomed in the base of his skull. "Mykal, what's wrong?" Brigit asked worriedly, rushing closer to help him.

"Not sure; I'm used to getting a little queasy at Hypershifts, but it's never been that bad." Brigit and Mykal both looked over at her Uncle as they heard the sharp intake of breath.

"You mean to tell me you have always felt when a ship goes into and comes out of Hypertravel?" the doctor asked, his eyes wide and his voice sounding strained.

Mykal nodded and winced at a particularly sharp pain in his head. Jason's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down to his pad and looked back to Mykal. "What's wrong Mykal? Are you okay?" Brigit asked, her voice quiet with concern.

"I don't know; I've got a raging head ache. It feels different than when I'm on a ship that does a Hypershift though; like a message is getting stuck and not being delivered. I can feel the little tingle of a new message right before...." His eyes immediately snapped to Jason, who took an involuntary step back. "I told you I would find out if you lied to me you son of a bitch. Guards! Take Prince Jason Davidov into custody and place him in the brig."

The entire observation deck turned and looked at the two of them, the order coming from what they thought was out of the blue. The guards looked surprised at the order, but started to move towards Jason, slowly.

His face turning to a mask of anger, Jason snarled at Mykal as he began punching in commands on his computer pad. "You stubborn bastard! How in the fuck are you resisting?"

Another spike of pain hit Mykal so hard that he dropped to his knees clutching his head. Elaine and Hans rushed to his side as Brigit turned towards her uncle, her eyes flashing in anger and hatred. "Guards, arrest him this instant and bring me that pad!"

As Mykal lay on the ground clutching his head in pain, a small inkling of a thought slipped through to his conscious mind. "An attack...t-there's going to be an attack." he whispered, before blacking out from the searing hot knives of pain slashing into his head.

****

Hans immediately stood and looked over to the captain of the ship, who had begun to pay attention to what was happening on his observation deck. "Captain, prepare for an incoming attack. I think we've been set up for ambush. Can you get us out of here before we are hit?"

From his right, Tobias spoke up. "No, we are still at too high of a velocity; by the time we are able to slow enough to make an effective exit trajectory, we will be far too deep into the system. They could be sitting out there anywhere and we won't have any idea until it's too late; and if we try to focus on escaping, they will catch us completely off guard and smoke us before we get a single defensive shot off."

Hans looked at his son, a mixture of surprise and pride on his face. Glancing over at the captain, who nodded his agreement of the situation, he turned back to his youngest child. "Tell me Colonel, what would you suggest we do?"

Tobias flushed and swallowed hard. "Well, your majesty," he started, slipping into his 'military hat', "I would continue on towards the capital, without giving away that we suspect anything. I'm sure they are waiting for a message from one of the traitors on the ship, but they may already know that we've caught some of them and will just wait for us to get too close to be able to evade and attack from there. Either way, we need to prepare everything we have that won't tip our hand that we know they are out there. If we prep all the fighters and load the missile bays, we can hold off launch until they power up."

Tobias marched over to the plotting station that showed a three dimensional hologram of the star system. "They may have a drop on us, but they can't be too close to the capital, because sneaky or not, this is our home system. All it takes is one wrong reading, just a hair too close to the inner ring, and they will be doing nothing but dodging FTL rounds from the orbital defensive arrays." Looking over to the captain, "We need those fighters ready yesterday, and those tubes loaded and ready to fire an hour ago."

The captain smiled, nodded his agreement and started barking orders to the various departments that needed to be brought to battle stations. "I am going to hold off on calling general quarters as long as I can so if there are any other spies, they can't get out a message to their friends to warn them."

"Why are we getting ready to fight? Couldn't we just cut a random trajectory and make for the system limit, so we can come back in on our own terms?"

Tobias looked up from the plot and smiled at his father. "Military 101 dad; best way to break an ambush is to know it's there and take it." He pointed at a couple of moons and planets that where near their course. "They are probably hiding on our side of one of these, with minimum power. They know that as soon as they light up, we'll see them, but they want to keep the inner system blind as long as they can. As soon as they power up, they will have a few moments of uselessness before they can attack." Grinning, Tobias looked at his father. "We will already be ready to start attacking, as soon as we have a target. They will be caught flat footed; the way they meant to catch us."

Whistling his appreciation at his youngest, he looked at the ship's captain. "Captain, what are your thoughts on this strategy?"

The captain nodded with a grim face. "I'm sure we won't get out untouched, unless we can figure out which planetary body they are hiding at, but he's pretty much right." Looking at the plot, he let out a harrumph. "If we can find them, we'll be even better off."

Tobias looked over his shoulder, where his sisters and mother were trying to help Mykal. "They knew what they were doing. Taking him out is definitely a negative for us. I've been looking over his close combat tactics and if it comes down to a fighter battle, he's the one I would have wanted in charge."

The young prince's eyes snapped to the captains. "Fighter force." They both said at the same time.

The captain immediately turned and started barking orders to an already busy bridge. "They are going to try and jump us with a fighter force; probably a suicide squad. They aren't expecting to make it out."

*****

As Hans stood and turned to the captain, Brigit took his place next to her mother, trying to figure out what was happening to Mykal. His body had started to shake, as if he was fighting off spikes in the pain, and his body was losing the fight. Looking up, she saw that her sister was standing near them, staring at Mykal in horror as if she knew what was happening to him. "Vivian, I need you to bring me that control pad that Uncle Jason was using, quickly!" Brigit barked at her older sister.

Startled into action, the blonde ran forward, scooped up the pad and ran back to Brigit, dropping to her knees and sliding the last couple of inches. "What's happening to him?" she asked in a whisper.

Having checked him over physically, she had noticed that Mykal's connectors for his synaptic controls were beginning to heat up, and was probably what had been causing the itching Mykal had seemed to be suffering from right before being overcome by the pain. "I think Jason had a program hidden in Mykal's implants that is supposed to do something. He had mentioned Mykal resisting something, so it may have been some kind of mind control programming." Cursing at herself under her breath, she whispered, "I wasn't at every surgery he did; he must have slipped it in without me knowing. I'm such an idiot."

"Brigit," Her mother admonished, "This isn't your fault. There is no way we could have known your Uncle would have done something so vile." Brigit nodded slightly, her eyes never leaving the control pad, and her fingers flying through the programming. Vivian was watching her work, her eyes darting between the pad in her sister's hands and the man on the ground in front of her.

"You can fix this right? You can get it out of him?" Vivian asked in a whisper.

"If I can find it; I can get it out, but I need to shut it down first. Something inside of him is fighting the programming so hard it is causing a cascading effect in the programming, making it take up so much power it's threatening to burn him out again. That won't be able to be fixed." Brigit responded in clipped tones. "Aha! There it is." she shouted out triumphantly. Mykal immediately stopped shaking and collapsed completely on the ground like a wet noodle.

"Mom, I think I need to be locked up until Brigit finishes with Mykal." Vivian whispered.

Her mother's head snapped up at the scared tremble in Vivian's voice. "Why would we need to do that?"

"I think that Jason put one in me too. Back when I had my piece repaired a few months ago. We don't know if anyone else has a control or not, and I'm not as strong as Mykal to fight it." She sighed lightly and folded her hands in her lap. "I vaguely remember doing things over the last couple weeks that I had no control over; things that I would never agree to do."

Elaine nodded sadly, realizing her brother had helped, maybe even led this rot inside the family and ruling class. She waved one of the remaining guards over and gave him instructions on how her eldest daughter was to be handled until she herself, or Brigit came to get her.

Brigit was carefully checking Mykal over when he took a slightly deeper breath and opened his eyes. Tears sprang into her eyes seeing him awake already, despite the shock his system had just received. "Don't be crying now; I'm going to be okay. You'll make sure of that." He whispered shakily. Brigit nodded emphatically and hugged him tightly.

"I'll need to put you out so that I can go in and completely remove the program." Mykal nodded slightly.

"Attack?" He asked, sounding slightly out of breath. Brigit shook her head as she replied.

"Nothing yet." He nodded and whispered, "Soon." and lost consciousness again. Brigit immediately took his vitals and released a breath she didn't know she had been holding, when she saw that he was just unconscious. Pulling out her com unit, she called for a medic team to come and transport him to the infirmary.

As she watched them carry him away on the hover stretcher, she turned to her mother and was finally able to let go. Both women clung to each other and wept at what had happened and become of their family, oblivious to the marshal activity around them.

****

Hans turned to his youngest son. "Tobias, do you have this under control for the time being?" At a nod from the young man, Hans turned back to his wife and daughter. Kneeling in front of his wife and taking her hands in his, he looked her in the eyes. "Elaine, we need to get this under control. I don't know how much time we have, and we need as much information as we can get. Once we make it to the planet, I promise that we will have all the time we need to mourn, but I need you to be strong, my love."

Elaine sniffed once and took a calming breath, pulling back her shoulders and sitting up straight. "You are absolutely right. I am going to go through any records I can find that Jason has been contacting our enemies, so we can see who else we need to worry about." Hans nodded and looked down at his youngest daughter.

"Brigit, I need you to see how much that bastard brother of mine hurt Mykal and what can be done for him." Letting out a heavy sigh, he continued, "We may need his help to make it out of this."

Wiping away tears from her cheeks, Brigit's met her father's unwaveringly. "Hasn't he done enough for this family? Or do we need to make sure that he dies while he saves us this time?"

Hans winced slightly at the razor sharpness of her tone. "I know that it seems that way, and if we can make it out of this without him I would prefer it. He is far too good for this family and for the kingdom to just throw away his life. Believe me Brigit; I have no intention of letting him do anything that will get him killed, if there is any way to avoid it."

Brigit nodded once. "See that you do that, father. I would be very upset if he died." Though she never raised her voice above a near whisper, there was no mistaking the iron in her resolve. There would be no forgiveness if Mykal didn't make it.

"Go now; go save our young hero's life." Brigit stood gracefully and strode from the room without another word, forcing her guards to jog to get into position.

"What are you going to do Hans? You have never led a military battle." His wife asked him as he helped her to her feet.

Hans shook his head. "I am going to leave that to the ones who know what they are doing. I am going to find out why exactly my brother decided to betray me."

*******

Hans stood in the security office for the second time that day, looking at the displays for his brother and daughter's cells. Vivian was alternating between raging around the room, yelling to be released and sitting in one of the corners, crying and looking around the room confused about where she was.




Betrayal 08



Looking at his brother's cell, a wave of anger laced with sadness washed over him. What did I do to make you hate me and my family so much, Jason? He thought to himself; watching the man, who sat quietly, chained to the chair in the middle of the room.

He had been watching his brother and daughter for over an hour now, not knowing what he should do to proceed. He knew that going in to confront his brother was just what Jason wanted. He had obviously been planning this for a very long time, so there was no way to know what he had up his sleeve.

Hearing the door to the office open, Hans looked over his shoulder to see his daughter, Brigit, stride in and walk right up to the control panel beneath the screen for Jason's cell. "Brigit...?"

"Just a second, Dad." she replied without looking at him. Plugging a computer pad into the control panel, she pushed a couple of buttons and smiled as a program began to run.

Hans was about to ask what she was up to when a blood curdling scream came from the speakers to Jason's cell. Looking at the screen, he saw that Jason was bent forward as far as his chains would allow him, clutching his head in pain.

Brigit turned and smiled at her father, a viscous gleam in her eyes. "And that is what you get when you hurt my man."

"What did you do to him? Brigit, you can't just hurt him for any reason." Hans said; despite everything that had happened, he was a little concerned for his brother's health.

"He was infiltrating the security systems. That's why he was being so quiet. I remotely shut down all of his implants. It's kind of like catching someone with their hand in the cookie jar and smashing it before cutting it off." Hans was frightened by the venom in her voice. It was clear that this betrayal was hurting her as much, if not more than him. "He'll be fine, eventually. None of his implants will be able to come online unless I allow them, so he should be fairly harmless now."

She turned, looked at her sister's screen and frowned. "If she is going through half of what Mykal was subjected to, clearing it all out is going to be tricky. I was barely able to get it out of Mykal's implants without it causing a massive overload and system shutdown." She sighed and touched the screen, causing it to zoom in on her sisters tear stained face. "We will have better facilities and more time for her I hope."

"Should we sedate her? She has been switching from this docile teary eyed Vivian to a raging and yelling Vivian, for the last hour."

Brigit shook her head. "She should be better now that I shut down Jason, and any personality shifts are indications that she is fighting the programming. If we sedate her, she won't be able to fight back and we'll have no idea what personality will wake up. She'll be okay dad. She's a Davidov."

The two were quiet for a few moments as they watched the traitor finally straighten up and look around with wild eyes. Finally, Hans couldn't wait any longer and he asked, "How is Mykal doing?"

Brigit took a deep breath, hugging her arms unconsciously around herself. "He'll be fine. Physically, he'll make a full recovery, but he was only a few seconds away from being forced into another Synaptic Overload. It's his mind I'm worried about. He seemed so cold and hard when he woke up. If it had just been Marcus and Jason, his sense of duty to you and mom would have seen him through, but you pile Freddy on top of that and I don't know if I'm going to get him back." By the time she finished speaking, tears were running freely down her cheeks. "I just can't lose him Daddy; I love him so much."

Hans wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her close. "Mykal is a strong man, and he truly does love you; that will help see you both through this. You just have to have some faith."

After she had cried herself out for the second time that day, she stepped out of her father's arms, wiping away the tears.

"I suppose I can't put this off forever. It's time to see what was running through my idiot brother's head when he decided to try and get me killed.

******

Tobias scoured the readouts again, looking for anything that would indicate a hidden attack force. Mykal would know where they were at; why can't you find them? He berated himself. He was so into his research that he didn't hear Captain Rimaldi walk up next to him.

"You keep straining like that, you'll pass out there Colonel." the captain said as he watched the young officer pour over the readout.

Jolting in surprise, Tobias looked over his shoulder at the Fleet Captain. "I know I'm missing something; I just can't pinpoint it."

"Son, if they are lying doggo, there isn't a scanner on this ship that'll pick them up." the captain said, waving an arm around the bridge of the ship. "We may be a really heavily armed royal transport, but we are still just a transport. I've been captain of a number of different ships and I think even a sensor trawler would have a go of it trying to track these bastards. Something to do with the material they make their ships out of. Some kind of super-strong manufactured stone." He chuckled. "Hells, the first Carthanian ship we ever detected was inadvertently classified by the ship's computer as an asteroid. Until, it started firing off plasma missiles that is."

Tobias looked at him skeptically, "How did they get out to report the attack, if that's the case?"

The Captain winked at him, "The XO classified the asteroid as a 'Danger to shipping lanes' and had gotten permission to use it for target practice for the missile crews, so everything was already in motion and it was targeted before the first missile was halfway to our...the ship."

Tobias chuckled, "How many awards did you get for that little bit of 'Forethought?'"

"Almost an even dozen." the Captain said with a straight face, looking over the plot. "Were it me doing this ambush, and I'd like to think that I am at least as smart as some lizards and far cleverer than that brother of yours, I would be hiding behind one of these three planets." The captain highlighted the three closest planets.

Tobias looked over the plot, his eyes going wide. "Its two of them. He's going to hit us from both of the closest planets. Just after we pass the closest, he springs the trap and the ships ahead of us pop out; when we try to reverse or make a break for it, the second group takes us from behind, using a slingshot maneuver to catch up to our velocity."

The two officers looked each other in the eyes and the Captain saw that the young man was serious, and more importantly, believed his assessment whole heartedly.

Tobias turned to the control pit. "Helm, listen carefully; when I give the mark, I want you to dump as much velocity as quickly as you can, and turn north in a hasty run pattern. I will give you a second mark, two minutes later, and you will turn straight at the dead zone of this planet," he said, marking the nearest heavenly body. "And you will hit full acceleration for twenty five seconds." He looked up at the Captain, "Once we hit the second mark, I want all fighters scrambled and separated into two fighter groups. Fighter group Alpha, will protect us from any incoming from the near planet; fighter group Bravo will protect against anything from the far planet."

The Captain nodded and moved to the squadron control center of the bridge. Tobias rushed over to fire control and spoke directly to the officer in charge, a young lieutenant. "Lieutenant, if everything works right, there will be a group of fighters that will light up and show themselves as soon as we make for escape; only fire half of the first volley, and do it as soon as you have targets available and a plot. Don't wait for a fire order, understand?"

The young lieutenant swallowed and nodded. "What do you want the other half for?"

Tobias smiled, "The other group of bogies that will show up shortly after the first. Same orders go for those. Kill 'em as you see 'em." The lieutenant smiled and nodded.

"Understood, Sir."

Tobias nodded once and rushed back up to the main plot.

He looked over at the captain, who smiled and nodded once. Taking a deep breath, he called out in a clear voice. "Mark one!"

*****

Mykal heard the alarm claxon and his eyes snapped open. Sitting up quickly, his head spun slightly and his back and abdominal muscles protested. Groaning slightly, he turned himself and made to get out of the medical bed, ignoring the fact that he was in his underclothes. The medical sensors were chiming softly in the background, but Mykal ignored them as he made his way to the pile of clothes across the room. He ignored the door opening and raised a hand to forestall whatever the orderly was about to say and pointed back towards the door, never saying a word. The young woman huffed her irritation and strode out of the room with a purpose.

As he was pulling on his shirt, after donning his pants and boots, Brigit strode in; her hair a fiery red halo around her head, her emerald green eyes flashing in irritation.

"Don't even try to stop me, Princess."

"The thought never crossed my mind. Where exactly, were you planning on going, Major?"

"To the bridge; there is a battle going on." he replied shortly.

"Why is that? Colonel Davidov has the battle well in hand. None of the royal family is in danger there."

Mykal quickly pulled up his tracking program, noting the location of each member of the royal family, though he noted that Jason did not show up. "Then I will go to Security, to question the prisoner."

"The king has said that he will handle the questioning of his brother personally, that no one is to interfere." she said sweetly, a smirk playing on her pert little mouth. "You could always go down to the security center and watch."

Mykal's eyes narrowed at her and she faced him down without flinching. "What would you suggest then, Doctor?"

"As your doctor, I suggest you take it easy and rest; your body needs more time to recover from the massive amount of physical stress you just went through." Taking a step forward, she frowned slightly, her eyes softening. "As the woman that plans to spend the rest of her life with you, I am begging you to please slow down. We will make it through this one day without you saving us."

Mykal's shoulders slumped as he heard the pain in her voice. "I have to do something Brigit." he said softly. "I can't just sit here while we are under attack."

"I know, and I understand. I think it would be okay if we go to the security center. If only for moral support." she said with a small smile. "I need to check on Vivian anyway."

Mykal looked at her in confusion. "What is wrong with Vivian?"

"She is in a cell in the security center because she has the same kind of program in her head that you did. I've shut it down, but it's been in her head for years now, where yours was only a few weeks. It had not gotten a foothold in your mind, whereas my sister is flitting between complete control of herself and complete raving lunatic."

"Let's head that way then, shall we?"

******

Hans looked down at the slumped form of his younger brother, pity for what a retched creature he had become since Brigit had shut down his implants.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all day, brother?" Jason asked, looking up at Hans.

"Originally, I had planned to ask you why you chose to do what you did, but then I realized that I had no way of knowing if you were telling the truth or not; so I decided to hold off on that." Hans put his hands behind his back and paced the room back and forth for a few moments, "No, what I think I am going to ask you first, is if it was you or Marcus that started all this."

Jason chuckled humorlessly. "By all this, do you mean you losing your throne? It was my idea that I whispered into your son's ear, turning him against you. All this plotting and intrigue though? That is all Marcus." Jason smiled maliciously. "I heard the attack claxons, I felt the shift in the engine vibrations; in just a matter of moments, the first boarding party will be here and it will be the beginning of the end for you."

Before Hans could reply, there was a crackle and Mykal's voice was heard over the loud speaker in the room. "You mean the assault force that we just turned into a pair of refuse clouds? I'm sure all that scrap metal and dead lizard will be here to save you any second now." There was a pause. "Shmuck."

Hans chuckled as he heard the beginnings of Brigit berating Mykal for his last second insult before the speaker cut off.

"Well it's good to hear that his spirits are up a bit since the pain you caused him. She got it all out by the way. I was actually thinking about letting him have a turn with you, just as a bit of payback, but I figured I shouldn't tempt that devil with another soul. Figuratively speaking of course, since we know you don't have one."

"Here is what is going to happen to you. When we reach the planet; you will be taken into custody, hooked up to all kinds of sensors and electrodes, pumped full of chemicals and questioned within an inch of your life. Once that is done, depending on what mood your information puts me in, I may call for a swift execution to mercifully end your inevitable suffering." Hans turned and walked to the door. Just before stepping through, he looked over his shoulder at his brother one last time. "Most likely, I'm going to let Elaine decide what to do with you. You better put me in a good mood with the information you give me."

******

Mykal whistled at the ruthless ultimatum his King had just delivered. "And I thought I was bad."

"I still can't believe you called him an idiot. How childish can you be?" Brigit replied, her hands on her hips.

"That wasn't that childish. It was factual. Besides, if I don't find some humor, I'm going to start to lose it. Too much bad has been happening lately." Catching the glint in her eyes, he continued before she could speak. "And no, you are not even close to one of those bad things that happened recently. Besides, I called him a Shmuck. Not an idiot."

Brigit smiled. "Well, now that the battle is over, I suppose it would be okay to go see how my brother faired in his first combat action."

Mykal rolled his eyes. "You really are trying to make my life dull, aren't you?"

"Not really; just trying to slow you down long enough to heal. You don't seem to understand just how much stress your body has been under the last few weeks." The concern was evident in her eyes when she looked at him. "If your body can't keep up, how can you expect your mind to?"

"I know; I really do, but we haven't had the luxury of being careful lately. Once we get planet side, I'm sure we'll be able to slow down a bit." Brigit just stared at him with her arms crossed.

"Okay, well maybe not, but I promise to try and not get killed for a full week once we get back."

Her hand launched out and caught him on the cheek; hard enough to get his attention, but without any real force. "Not funny. That will never be funny."

Mykal walked forward and wrapped his arms around Brigit. "I do promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure I always come back to you." He kissed her on the forehead, and leaned down to her ear and whispered, "So when are you going to let me in on you and your mother's plan for me?"

She giggled lightly. "About two seconds after we put it in motion."

"Oh, so I'll have some warning then."

****

Tobias watched as the last of the fighters made their way back to the launch bays. "Damage reports in yet, Captain?"

"We lost two fighters to the second group, but both pilot capsules were recovered. Only two missiles were ever launched at the ship itself, and counter measure turrets took them out well outside danger range." Tobias nodded.

"Doesn't feel like it should, does it?" Captain Rimaldi asked.

"It seems like it should have been harder fought. I don't know; seems like it was too easy."

"Well, I'm not sure how it goes on the ground as much, but I know in naval action; if you can catch an ambush and turn it on them, it is never pretty." Rimaldi clapped the younger officer on the shoulder. "You did a good job of outthinking them. That's what we do as flag officers. One of the things I have noticed with the Carthanians is that they are not as strong, tactically, as we seem to be. Especially when we face them on naval terms as opposed to ground action. If we had not realized that we were heading into an ambush, we would have been decimated before we could have fought back."

Tobias nodded his understanding, still watching the plot. Just as he was moving to turn away, a short flicker of light caught his eye. Looking closer, he saw a weak flash of a foreign object.

"Captain Rimaldi, you said our downed pilots were picked up already?"

"Yes, one is injured and on his way to medical, but the other is doing fine."

"Then why are we picking up a life form out there?"



Betrayal 09



"You are not going in there." Mykal's voice was hard.

"What do you mean; I'm not going in there?" Brigit asked, her eyes flashing.

"I mean that there is no real reason for you to go into a holding cell with an 8 foot tall dragon-looking lizard man, so you won't be." 

"And when exactly did you start to believe that you are my keeper?" 

"Right around the time you told me that I was going to be yours or maybe around the time your father made me the Commander of the Royal Lance, thus putting me in charge of your safety and security as a member of the royal family." He smiled slightly. "You can take your pick between the two."

"We can learn so much from him; we've never been able to capture one of them alive," she said with a pout. "Please?"

"No matter how many times you bat your beautiful green eyes at me, I am not letting you go in there." Mykal said with a straight face. "When we land and get him in a proper containment room, then I may let you near him. As it is, this is too close for my liking. We are going to do everything we can to make sure he survives, especially since he is my only link to chasing down Marcus."

"Fine; I'll wait." Brigit said, her eyes narrowing. "You are so lucky I feel the way I do about you."

Mykal smirked as he walked towards the corridor entrance, gently dragging her with him. "And what is it you feel for me exactly?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and find out, if you don't make me change my mind before then."

*****

Tobias paced back and forth in front of his father's desk. "It's just not right. It doesn't make sense."

"Tobi, stop pacing and start talking sense." His mother said from one of the side couches.

"The Carthanian; he wasn't in a rescue pod. It just got lucky with how its ship was hit. From what we can tell so far, they don't have any kind of survival measures built into their fighters." Tobias shook his head. "It's just not right."

Mykal and Brigit walked in. Taking in the scene in front of him, Mykal asked, "What's wrong?"

"Tobi thinks that the way the Carthanians do battle is...less than humane." Tobias rolled his shoulders in irritation at the way it was described.

"You mean the lack of survival pod on that fighter piece we brought in with our hulking friend?"  Mykal asked, as he took a seat across from the queen on the other couch. He raised an eyebrow at Brigit when she went and sat next to her mother. About a second later he received a message; [Mom is stressing about Vivian and what Jason did; just comforting her.] Mykal nodded once and gave Tobias his full attention. 

"That's probably why we have not captured any Carthanians that weren't already on deaths door. If their 'Mechs are the same, their 'to the death' way of fighting would make for a tough time in capturing any of them."

"I wonder why they don't have some form of life saving equipment in their vehicles. It's almost like that old culture back on earth that would send in their warriors expecting to die." Mykal said as he stood and moved over to fix himself a drink. He glanced at Brigit; catching her eye, shifted them to her mother and back, raising his eyebrow.

She nodded once and Mykal poured a second glass for Elaine. Walking over and handing the glass to Brigit, he swirled his drink slightly as he made his way back to his seat. "For them to do something like that, they would have to have a massive population and a leadership caste that held itself aloof from the rest of their society." 

"Well, we kind of do the same, but we don't send our people into battle to win or die," Tobias bit out.

Hans nodded. "Our society has evolved over tens of thousands of years. We have had some pretty horrific leaders of men in our time."

Mykal snorted. "Hades, look at that jackass emperor that the Tudoran's had about thirty years ago. I think if the other nations hadn't stepped in to stop him he would have ended up doing similar things. His genome programs were more than a little crazy."

Tobias stopped pacing. "Maybe they just never got that part of social evolution. If one nation had taken complete control of Old Earth, it's probable that all of the extra terran exploration would have been confined to one ideology; they would have been stuck, instead of evolving as separate groups like we have." 

Mykal's eyebrows raised and he looked over at Hans, who smiled. "He received exemplary marks in social and political science, as well as social anthropology. I would agree with that idea based on what we've seen of them so far; leadership caste that has such an iron grip on the people that their troops will think nothing of fighting to the death."

"Couldn't it just be esprit de corps? Good old fashioned patriotism for their race?" Mykal asked.

Hans shook his head, but it was Tobi that answered. "That's very doubtful. There would have been at least one coward or fuckup that would have surrendered. Fear is far easier to instill in everyone than patriotism."

Mykal snorted. "I'll give you that." 

"Do you think we'll be able to communicate with it?" Brigit asked softly, more to herself than anyone else.

"Oh, I'm sure we will. I'm not sure we'll like what it has to say though." Tobias answered with a grimace.

*****

Mykal stood on the bridge, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the main view screen; tracking their descent to the royal spaceport. His eyes picked out the ten lances worth of 'Mechs that were patrolling the grounds of the spaceport and the nearby palace. 

"Still worried about whose team they are on?" Captain Rimaldi asked as he stepped up next to Mykal.

Mykal shrugged slightly. "Is it that obvious?"

Rimaldi shook his head slightly. "Only to someone who's been around as long as I have. I've been commanding ships since the King's father was a young man." 

Mykal's eyes widened slightly as he took in the man standing next to him. Looking just a bit older than the Master Chief, he had put the Fleet Captain at not much over one hundred years. "You look good for your age."

The Captain chuckled. "I joined the Navy at seventeen and have been serving this nation for over one hundred and thirty years." Winking at Mykal, he whispered conspiratorially, "Not going to say how much over though."

"I thought there was an age cap on service?" Mykal questioned as his eyes watched the display screens.

"I started serving before they were enacted. You could say I was Grandfathered in." Rimaldi replied, barking a laugh at his own pun. "I only bring it up because to a man my age, you are awfully young to be taking orders from, and I'm not the only old timer in the military. Hades, there are a couple that have been around longer than me. I just adapt well." 

Mykal nodded. "Glad you are on our team, as much as you have seen." 

"I never thought I would see all this though. It doesn't make much sense to me. That boy was bright, politically savvy and trained by the best in the court." Rimaldi shook his head. "Why make a play like this, getting in bed with those things that have been trying to kill us, when you know you are getting the throne in just a decade or two?"

Mykal shrugged. "Not too sure, though I am almost certain that the king's brother had something to do with it. My job is to make sure he doesn't succeed."

"Well, just take it easy for a bit. We'll be on the ground in about thirty minutes."

Mykal nodded. "Thank you, Captain."

******

Brigit helped her mother clean up and change for debarkation, Elaine having spent the last two hours crying out the pain of her family's betrayal. She had always thought that her son was happy with being his father's heir and right hand. And Jason, whom she had loved as if her were her own blood, had held such contempt for them that he helped to try and kill them all. 

"Mother, I don't know that I can wait anymore." Brigit said as she braided her mother's hair into one large plait. 

"We are almost home sweety. You will only have to wait a little longer. We have to do this the right way, especially because of your brother's actions and your sister being functionally disabled right now. We have no idea if she will rebound from this. You realize that there is a good chance you would be the heir primus, don't you?"

Brigit's jaw dropped as she stuttered to find words. "B-but, Vivian, s-she's next in line."

"If she does not come back from this one hundred percent there is no way anyone will take her seriously as the queen. Not taking into account that her twin brother betrayed the crown and allied himself with our enemies." Her mother shook her head slightly. "You need to be ready for this possibility. If it does fall to you, we have to make sure that he will be suitable to be your husband," she held up a hand before Brigit could interrupt. "In bloodline only, darling. You and I know that as a man, he is more than up to the challenge."

Brigit sighed. "I had never thought there would ever be the possibility of me being anywhere close to taking the crown. That's why I focused on cyber medicine." She bit her lower lip, fidgeting with her fingers. "What if his bloodline isn't strong enough?"

"Oh, I have some ideas about that and if I'm right, we won't have to worry about it. If you do end up being Crown Princess though, there are traditions that we will have to follow, you know that right?"

"Mother, you can't be serious. I am marrying him, and that is that. If it's not him, it's no one."

"You know it's not that easy Brigit. You will have a responsibility." 

"Then I guess you better make sure that he's the one that passes, shouldn't you?" Brigit said with a serious face as she set down her mother's brush. "I'm not budging on this one."

Elaine sighed as she watched through the mirror as her daughter left the room. "Elaine, I hope you are right about this." She whispered to herself.

*****

Mykal and Tobias stood next to each other as they watched the prisoner's being transferred off the ship. They had landed over an hour ago, but clearing the family out of the ship and into the palace had taken some time, since Tobias refused to go until he saw that the Carthanian was treated fairly and with the respect due to a captured prisoner of war, not as an animal, regardless of what it looked like.

"Are you sure about this, Tobias?" Mykal asked, as they watched the alien being locked into its guiding tethers.

The younger man nodded. "Something in this doesn't add up to me. Maybe it's just me being young, but these...people being treated the way they are doesn't seem right." Tobias replied.

Mykal shrugged. "Well between your 'feeling' and your sister's scientific objections, I don't have a leg to stand on. I'm not saying I want to kill it outright, but if it makes a move for someone, I won't hesitate to have it dropped."

"Understandable." The two of them backed up a few paces as the security team began to move the prisoner towards the door. "Wonder what its name is?" Tobi asked no one in particular as he watched the security team shuffle the massive prisoner out of the ship.

"Well, maybe if you are lucky you can ask it out once we finish the questioning." Mykal said with a smirk as he followed the security team, one hand on his blaster.

*****

Mykal shuffled through the papers on his new desk, not really seeing them. He had gotten back only a quarter of an hour earlier from seeing Freddie's family. He had sat down and calmly explained everything that had happened and shown them what he could of Freddie's confession. 

****

Freddy's mother had cried through the entire thing, denying that he was guilty, that it was a scheme or lie. She had cried and railed at Mykal until she had heard and seen the confession. At that point, she had broken down and started to bawl. His father had watched silently, holding his wife, but never taking his eyes from the display as the confession played out. 

Freddy's sister had gone ballistic. She yelled, ranted, raved and blamed Mykal for all of it. She cursed Mykal and the entire royal family. She said that if her brother was trying to kill the family then they deserved to die. Mykal knew academically that she was just hurt and lashing out. In his heart he felt as if he was being stabbed by his best friend yet again. This young girl was the closest thing that he had to a sister and she wanted him dead. When she saw the part where Freddy said he did all of it not for a greater good, but for easy power and to be able to force himself on a woman, she instantly shut up and went deathly quiet. 

Tears poured down her face as she looked at the screen, then at Mykal. He felt his heart break as he watched the realization come over her that her big brother and idol was one of the bad guys. She ran to him and flung her arms around his neck, knocking both of them to the ground and began to sob into his chest, incoherently mumbling about why he had done it. He sat where he had landed and just held her, tears running down his own face as he rubbed the young girl's back soothingly. 

When she had finally cried herself out, she looked up at him with tear streaked eyes. "I'm sorry Mykal. I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I-I just didn't know what to do."

Mykal smiled softly at the girl he had looked at as a younger sister for years. "I know Samantha. You should have seen what was going through my mind. I got lucky that I had good people supporting me through this, just like I will be here to help you and your parents through this."

He looked over at the older Davidsons. Fred's mother was still crying softly and his father had yet to say anything. "I truly am sorry I wasn't able to stop this before it got out of hand."

Fred's father nodded slightly. "I understand. I'm not blaming you. What is going to happen to him?" he asked, looking at Mykal for the first time. The pain in his eyes was evident. 

"Well, it all depends on how co-operative he is. If he is as helpful as physically possible I may be able to influence it to a life sentence, no chance at release, at a maximum security complex." Mykal sighed, "But if he fights us in any way, there is a very real chance that he would be executed."

Samantha gasped and her mother cried just a bit harder as her father nodded his head in understanding. "I suppose seeing him isn't going to be an option anytime soon, will it?" 

Mykal shook his head. "Not until the questioning is completed, so at least two weeks. You can reach me at the palace or on my personal communicator." He set a card with his contact information on the table and looked down at Samantha. "And you are welcome to come see me any time. All of you."

He stood, lifting Samantha with him and setting her on her feet. "If any of you need my help with anything, please let me know. I have always thought of you as my family because you have always been there for me. It's my turn to be there for you now." 

He picked up the uniform jacket that he had laid on the back of one of the chairs when he had arrived at the Davidson home. Sliding his arms into the sleeves he turned at the gasp from Freddy's mother.

"Mykal! Why are you wearing that? You will get in trouble for impersonating someone of such high rank." 

Mykal smiled softly. "I am so glad to hear you say that. It reminds me that there are people that still see me, not this Gods forsaken rank badge." He shook his head slightly. "Don't worry Mrs. Davidson; I won't get in trouble for it. It really is my rank now. Some things have changed."

Samantha's eyes got big and she started grinning. "It's you! All the gossip pages on the 'net are talking about the young new Major protecting the Royal Family. They said he was a young handsome guy, barely more than eye-candy." she giggled at the last part.

Mykal rolled his eyes. "I'm definitely not eye-candy. Baravos learned that first hand." He chuckled to himself softly. "That is never going to get old." he whispered.

It was her father's turn to gape at him. "It's true? You took the hand of a noble?" 

Mykal smirked a bit. "That's classified." He walked forward and knelt next to Freddy's mom. "I'm here if you guys need me." he said softly as he wrapped her in a hug. He and Freddy's dad stood and shared a hand shake and half hug. As he walked back towards the front door, he hugged Samantha again. "You be good and strong. Your parents are going to need you right now. If you need someone to talk to, give me a call. I mean that."

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Besides, I know this girl I think you would get along with. You have something in common that I think you could both help each other through."

She nodded into his chest as she hugged him. "I will."

*****

Shaking his head to clear it, he looked back down at the pad in his hands. It had a listing of the current strength of the security forces of the palace. There was a commander of the home guard who ran pretty much everything in the palace, and himself who ran everything outside of the palace, in regards to keeping the royal family safe. 

Mykal grimaced at the depleted numbers he was being forced to work with until new 'Mechs, pilots and infantry could be drummed up from the selection process. He knew that he was going to increase the size of the traveling component, seeing as what had happened on Orphus III. The family making it out alive was a fluke, and a testament to Mykal's quick thinking, self sacrificing personality and luck on the battlefield. He didn't want that happening again. 

As he was inputting a note on how many more 'Mechs he needed, he got the tingle from his locator program that one of the royal family was within twenty yards. He did a quick mental check and smiled slightly, looking back down at his pad to input more notes. 

"What brings you down to the military offices, Princess?" He asked with a smirk, looking up at the beautiful red head that had stolen his heart. 

"Well, my darling Major, I came to see how your meeting with Fred's parents went and to give you some...information."

Mykal raised an eyebrow at her as she came around the desk and sat down on his lap, hugging him around the neck. "They were understandably upset. Really upset. I think they will be okay, though they may need me to contact them more often at this point. Samantha is going to come and visit at some point, I think."

Brigit's eyebrow rose, "Samantha?" 

Mykal chuckled. "Fred's younger sister. She's a bit younger than Tobi."

"Do I get to meet this little girl?" Brigit asked. 

Nodding, Mykal hugged Brigit close. "I think you two would get along great, and that you will have some things in common that will help you both." He looked up at her. "What information did you need to give me?"

"Well, we've been back for almost two weeks now, and it's time for you to meet some people. So mother set up a time to do so."

"And just who am I supposed to be meeting?" Mykal asked warily.

Brigit blushed, knowing that Mykal had her. "Um...The Court."

*********

Tobias looked through the energy field and watched the Carthanian pace. They had been unable to communicate much with him since they had brought him in, but they had been able to figure out what it needed as far as nutrition was concerned. They had placed a number of platters with various types of food on them and it had picked through the selection, almost seeming to understand what they were wanting to know. After it had picked a small amount of everything it seemed it could eat, it had waved at the remains dismissively and set everything else aside as a display of what it could eat. 

Brigit had been with Tobi that morning and was bubbling over about what they were learning about its physiology. 

Tobi just wanted to talk to it. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was trying to say something to them that was very important to it.




Betrayal 09



Just as he was thinking about what message could possibly be so important it would get all worked up like that, it turned and looked straight at him, though the one way screen should have kept him out of view.

Tobi took an involuntary step backwards. Does it know that I am here? He wondered to himself. He gasped involuntarily as the creature began to nod its head. "Holy crap, you can read my mind."

The Carthanian cocked its head to the side and then shook its head indicating a no, confusing Tobi even more. "Brigit would be able to figure this out. I wish she was here." The alien on the other side of the door shrugged slightly, as if it was not sure she would be able to. 

As if thinking about her somehow made contact, he got the familiar tingle of a direct message from his sister. [You are going to be late Tobias; Mom wants you here for Mykal's unveiling to the court.] He sent a quick response back saying that he was on his way.

Focusing back on the Carthanian, he took a step back before turning to leave. Something made him stop though and look back over his shoulder. "I'll be back later to see if we can figure all this out."

The Carthanian didn't move as it 'watched' Tobias walk away. "Bbaack." it croaked out softly as Tobias disappeared from view.

******

Elaine looked at the pad again, still not wanting to believe what it said. She had spent most of her waking time since arriving home in a search for Mykal's true parents. He had willingly given her blood samples for DNA testing and tracking. He had acted aloof about it but Elaine knew that he was almost as excited as she was to find out where he came from. What had come back was as surprising as anything they had learned about the young man to date. 

"Jenny, why did you do it? What reason did you have?" she said to herself softly for the hundredth time since confirming the identity of his mother.

The soft rumble of her husband's voice cut through her thoughts as he entered her dressing room. "Darling, we are going to be late for our own party if you don't hurry."

He saw the tightness around her eyes and mouth and immediately knew something was wrong. "Elaine, love, what's wrong?"

She smiled just a little bit. "I found out who Mykal's parents are, at least who his mother is."

Hans smiled. "Well that's great. I'm sure he will be very pleased. Maybe they have a family coat of arms so he doesn't have to come up with his own. I know that's been bothering him lately." He hugged his wife from behind. "So do we know the lucky family?"

Elaine nodded. "Oh, we definitely do..." She said softly, as her husband's strong arms seemed to sap away all of her tension.

She looked up into the mirror and caught her husband's eyes, trapping his gaze. "He's Jenny's son, Hans."

King Hans Davidov, one of the three most powerful men in the galaxy, froze at the sentence his wife had just uttered. "Yeah, I would say that he's got a family seal."



Betrayal



They didn't see him. Oh, they were looking at him gamely enough, but they really didn't see him. They didn't see Artemous, the young wizard that had attained power and respect despite having come from the streets, they didn't see the man that had fought in a war for them, they didn't see the man that had almost died for them.

No, they saw the murderer only, the assassin, the betrayer. Everything he had done, everything that had been done to him, for them, all of it for them, it meant nothing.

He stared down at his hands, imagining he could still see the blood on them. Blood that he had spilled, not with magic, not through cunning or cleverness but with a stupid, pointless dagger, thrust through the back of the princess, thrust hard into her heart.

He wanted to bathe so terribly that it almost hurt. They had allowed him to wash of course but he had not been granted the luxury of an actual bath. He unconsciously rubbed his hands on the rough woollen tunic they had given him after throwing the blood soaked one away. He had worn worse clothing of course, he was born a street rat after all, but it had been long time since he had felt anything other than silk against his skin. 

The manacles around his wrists sparkled gold in the sun, the small glyphs on them standing out in sharp contrast against his pale skin. They contained his power, locked it away in a small box that he would never he be able to reach. It was a terrible feeling, knowing the power was there but being unable to reach it. His power had given him strength, made him feel safe and secure. He was lost without it. He was afraid.

"Wake up boy!" A dreaded voice barked near him. He looked up reluctantly into the hateful face of Seren, the cities wizard keeper. The other man's keen features stared hungrily into his face, searching for the pain, the fear, the remorse. "You haven't eaten." He said, looking pointedly at the bowl at Artemous feet. "Come now boy, we can't have you starve yourself to death. Not when the fire awaits."

Artemous shuddered very slightly and looked away. He hated fire, nothing petrified him more. He heard a tired sigh and the rattle of keys. He looked up sharply. He did not want Seren in the cage with him. He did not want it! He backed away very slightly but there was nowhere to go in the small cage. Nowhere for him to hide. The door opened and Seren crawled in after him. He caught hold of the wizard's long braid and gave it a violent tug. Artemous didn't respond. He did not remember how to fight without magic, if he had ever known at all. His face was pushed into the bowl. It rose up into his mouth, his nose, and his eyes. He began to struggle then. He could not imagine a more bizarre death but if he wasn't released soon he knew he would suffocate. 

"Eat!" The wizard keeper screamed into his face after he hauled him upright. "Eat else I'll break your teeth and force the food through your hole!"

He took the bowl in shaking hands and began to sip at the rancid stuff. Seren watched him eagerly, clearly enjoying his humiliation. He could feel the gruel dripping off his face onto his clothing. He tried to keep his expression carefully neutral and not betray his pain but he wasn't sure he succeeded.

The wizard keeper patted his head when he was finished and picked up the bowl. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully cleaned off Artermous's face. He was grinning all the while. "You'll break soon." He said, looking gleefully into the wizards eyes. "It won't be long now my love." 

And then he left. And Artemous looked at his hands. ********************************************************** Artemous was woken by voices. That was rather unusual; normally the only voice he heard was Seren's. He wondered if they had come to kill him. He realised he did not mind the idea of death. A part of him even welcomed it. But he didn't want to burn. Lord and lady above he did not want to burn. 

Seren came in first, his face twisted into a mask of hate and fury and Artemous instinctively flinched away from him. The keeper barely even noticed. He swept aside and Artemous was forced to look into the face of the only man he dreaded more than Seren. 

Ruben, twin to the woman he had killed, heir to the throne, and the man he had gone to bed with almost every night since he had reached maturity. "Get out!" He said, his eyes fixed on Artemous. The keeper hesitated. "Get out!" He screamed.

And the keeper fled, leaving Artemous alone with the man that had been his entire world for as long as he could remember. He realised that he still loved him, even after the terrible betrayal, after the lies and the cruelty that followed. But something more compelling than love stopped him from finally letting lose the almost insane need inside of him. It stopped him from howling and kicking and punching the bards in an attempt to reach his betrayer. Because as much as he loved Ruben he feared him much more. That fear had been installed in him since he was first apprenticed in the wizards' keep; it had kept him susceptible, pliable and easily controlled. 

It had made him kill. She had not been an innocent woman, she had plotted against the crown and had tried to take the throne for herself, but she had not deserved a knife in the back. 

"Come here." It was an order, not to be disobeyed. Artemous didn't move. Ruben kind of tilted his head to one side and studied him thoughtfully. He smiled suddenly, a terrible, ghastly smile as he gave a casual flick of his hand and the lock on the cage broke in two. The look he gave Artemous indicated he could just as easily do the same to him. "Come here." He repeated very dangerously.

Artemous crawled towards him. Ruben caught his arm before he made it all the way out by himself and dragged him the rest of the way. He forced him upright, his arm holding on tightly enough to cause bruises. "You're leaving." He said shortly. His only explanation as he started too strong arm him out the door. 

"Ruben," He said, trying to make his voice work. He couldn't remember the last time he had spoken, how many weeks had he spent trapped in the cage? "Ruben, where are you taking me?"

"Away." He said shortly, his grip tightening, warning him to shut up. 

He tried to stay silent but one terrifying thought made him speak. "Is it the fire?"

His smile was terrible as he stopped for a moment and softly caressed the side of Artemous face. "Not for you my darling." ************************************************ Artemous started dazedly at the eastern men. He had never seen them close up before and he could not hide his sudden weariness. They were large creatures, decked out in crude pelts and furs. They braided their beards and hair, adding tiny bones and other odd trinkets. They smelled crude to him, like perhaps they did not bathe more than once a year. 

They all looked up as Artemous and Ruben approached them. He could feel their eyes on him and wondered numbly what Ruben intended to do to him now. He tried to pull back but the prince just held on more tightly. "Ruben," He tried quietly.

"Shut up!"

He didn't know the eastern language, a few words perhaps but not nearly enough to pick up what was being said between the prince and the tall one that seemed to speak for all his men. Suddenly those great brown eyes turned on him. He did not smile as he reached out and caught Artermous's chin. His hands were rough, calloused and engraved with dirt. The wizard tried to break free but Ruben caught his hair and forced him to stay still. He felt like a trapped rabbit caught between two foxes. The manacles on his wrists bleated angrily. His power wanted out. He wanted some control.

They spoke some more and then the easterner nodded his head very slightly and released him. "Ruben," Artemous said more loudly. He actually managed to wrench himself free and put a few paces between them. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving you from the fire darling." He said, quirking his eyebrows and smiling very slightly. "Think of it as payment for all those decedent nights you spent in my bed."

Artemous blinked at him stupidly. He had said cruel things before but never anything so terribly hurtful. "Please Ruben," He said, his voice cracking very slightly. "What have you done?"

"Consider yourself an envoy of the Islington court, my darling." He said, straight faced and solemn.

"You've sold me, to them?" Artemous cried, his eyes wide and fearful.

"Of course not." Ruben said, affronted. He closed the distance between them and forced a passionate kiss on Artemous, all but bending him in two. "You're more of a gift. A peace offering." The kiss enveloped him, stealing his breath. He heard Ruben's voice perfectly in his mind. "Consider it your penance my darling, for having murdered an innocent woman."

And with that he pushed him roughly away, grinning as he hit the ground. Artemous stared blankly up at him. He didn't even struggle as strange hands picked him back up and tied him to the saddle of a horse. 

One thought kept reverting around in his mind. An innocent woman. ***************************** He could feel their eyes on him, watching him with a wary sort of fascination as though they expected him to sprout wings at any moment and fly off. He would have liked to have said that it gave him some leverage over them but it quickly became apparent that fascination and fear were two very different things. They knew his power was contained and they knew that without it he would cause them very little worry. 

It was difficult being among them, not only because of his own desperate heartache and self revulsion, but also because they were so obviously different to his own people. There was no finery among them, no acid tongues or dry wit. They seemed painfully simple to him, devoid of anything other than a basic intellect.

He was also afraid of them, as well he might be. He didn't know what they wanted, or why Ruben had given him to them. 

They left him alone for the most part, for which he was thankful. He was given food and a blanket at night on which he might sleep. They even untied him when they made camp, though they were sure to tether him to something at night. 

It was on the forth night, as he sat quietly, huddled in his blankets and close to the fire, that he was forced to converse with them for the first time. He began idly tugging at the bracelets around his wrists, subconsciously trying to pull them off even though he knew they were far too snug to slip off, when he felt a powerful hand grip his shoulder. He almost jumped a foot in the air in surprise before trying to twist free. He was spun round and hoisted to his feet, and suddenly he found himself staring into the tall ones furious dark eyes. His shoulder was released but when he tried to step away his wrist was caught in a manacle like hold. The easterner pulled Artemous wrist up and forced his hand to stay suspended between them. There was murder in his eyes, cold and furious. "Do not." He said, each word clear and concise.

Artemous shook his head wordlessly and tried to pull free. The grip on his wrist tightened, almost grinding his bones together. He thought his knees were going to buckle but he managed not to scream. 

"Do not," The other man repeated coldly. "If you try to take off the bracelets I'll have your eyes and your tongue cut out. Do you understand me?"

"I wasn't-" 

His other hand wound through Artermous's hair, wrenching his head back until the smaller man was forced to meet his gaze. "You were." He said coldly, cutting him off. He held him there a moment longer, perhaps to convey his point, before pushing him back down onto his blankets. 

Artemous didn't move for a long time. Years spent on the streets and then with Ruben had taught him when to be still. When he did eventually sit back up he saw a dozen pair of eyes turn in his direction. He ignored them and slowly massaged his bruised wrist, careful not to linger too close to the bracelet.

I need to get away, he realised, thinking offensively for the first time in weeks. He could have laughed at himself for being such a damned fool. Of course he needed to get away, but how in the name of the lord and lady was he supposed to do it? He couldn't remove the bracelets, no matter what the eastern brute thought. Even if he lost weight they would shrink with him. That was part of their magic, part of what made them so effective. He could try and use his wit but he was perfectly aware that when it came to anything other than his studies he had little of it to spare. He couldn't fight them, he couldn't out run them. They were twelve men to his one. 

When the bowl slapped down in front of him he very nearly disgraced himself by yelling out. One of them crouched down next to him. He smiled very slightly and nudged the blow into Artermous's lap. He was one of the younger men, probably the same age as Artemous, if not a little older. He wasn't as tall as their stony faced leader but he probably would have stood at least half a head taller than the mage. His dark chocolate brown hair was braided in twin plates, each one resting far past his shoulders. "Are you ever going to eat?" He asked, his common crude and thick with his accent. He nudged the bowl a little closer, like he thought Artemous might be too stupid to understand the words alone. "It's not poison, I swear." 

The mage looked dispassionately down at the gruel. He tried to remember the last time he had eaten. He recalled swallowing down some of the muck the night before. Was that not enough? 

"You need to eat little brother." The other man said gently. "You're skin and bone. How will you perform great magic if you can't hold yourself up?"

He wanted the other man to leave him alone, to keep ignoring him like they had been. He shuffled away from him a little and pulled the blankets closer around his body. He heard the other mans quiet sigh and wondered why he suddenly cared so much.

"What are you going to do to me?" He asked suddenly, looking back at the young man. 

"Don't you know?" He sounded surprised. "You're being given to our queen, as a gift. You're to perform magic for her."

Artemous arched one eyebrow. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that whilst I'm wearing these bracelets?" 

"Our own necromancer will be in charge of you." The young man smiled an easy smile. "We have been told that their magic is far more powerful than yours."

Artemous felt his eyes bulging in his head as he flinched away from the easterner youth. "A necromancer, you're putting me under the control of a necromancer?" his voice was barely more than a squeak. He stood up suddenly, an insane need to run away urging him on. The youth rose with him, his expression cautious.

"Be calm little brother. The necromancer will not harm you but I promise you that my leader will if you do not sit back down." 

But it was too late. The tall one rushed over to them and grabbed his throat, latching onto him as he pulled out his dagger. He started yelling, not at Artemous but at the youth beside him. The younger man answered the tall one calmly. Eventually Artemous was released and pushed back down. He stayed on the floor this time, shaking with a fear that had nothing to do with the men surrounding him.



Betrayal 10



Mykal strode down the marble floored hallway, his dress uniform boots ringing out with each step. He had always thought that the dress uniforms were a little excessive, but now that he understood more about how it was important that high ranking officers needed to look the part just as much as they needed to know the part he was not as critical of them. Besides, I look pretty impressive in this get up, he thought to himself.

He was making his way to the official throne room for a ceremony that essentially introduced him to everyone at court. He thought of it as painting a bull's eye on his back. He had heard rumors back when he was in the academy and as a fresh commission. The court was full of ruthless cutthroats, a den of villainy and corruption that the entire known galaxy knew of and more importantly; feared. They were like pirates...in nice cloths.

As he made his way down towards the large double doors ahead of him, he heard the footsteps of someone rushing up behind him. Turning, he saw that it was Ensign Jeffries and she was running to catch up with him. "Major McDaniel, the king needs to see you right away. He said that it was very important that you meet with him in his office immediately."

As she spoke, there was a tingle of a message being sent to him from the King. [Need to meet with you right away, forget the presentation for the time being. They are used to waiting for us.]

Mykal nodded at the Ensign and gestured for her to lead the way. Following the junior officer, he wondered what was so important that he they would leave the court waiting.

****

"He's on his way. How are we going to tell him about this?" Hans asked his wife. 

Elaine frowned. "I really wish we knew what she was up to when she did this." Sighing softly she continued. "Why wouldn't she have told me about this?" 

The king frowned. "I don't think it could have been avoided. No one really knows why she went into hiding, but I would be willing to bet that we know what the reason is now."

"She could have come to me. I would have helped her." Elaine said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Hans walked to her and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "I know this is upsetting for you love, but it may not have been her fault. It's not like we know who the father is. That may have played a huge part." 

Elaine nodded into her husband's chest. "You realize now that we are never going to be able to get rid of him, right?"

The king chuckled, "Not that I want to, but why's that." 

Looking up into his eyes she smiled mischievously. "Now he's got enough title to be a match for Brigit."

Hans frowned slightly at that thought. "So much for making life simpler."

*****

Mykal stared at the door, taking a deep calming breath. The king had explained what he had to do once he was presented. He had to officially be presented to the court, at which point he would be given his title and become able to marry Brigit. He felt a bit unsure, as it seemed odd that he had to do it right away. 

The guards at either side of the door widened their eyes as they watched him twitch nervously. He didn't seem to notice when his hands would flick at speeds that normal people never moved at.

Mykal smiled slightly at the guards, men he was a few years junior to, that only a couple of months ago he could have seen himself sitting around a rec-room in the barracks, having a beer and shooting the breeze with. Now he was their commander. Only the royal family held more power in these men's lives. It was a sobering thought. One that almost made him miss the signal he had been waiting for to enter. One of the guards coughed slightly, getting his attention. Shaking himself slightly, he quirked a smile at the man in thanks as he began to stride forward, the massive gilded doors, capable of withstanding a missile strike swung open on hydraulics before him. 

The soft murmur of voices drifted to silence at the sound of his sharp steps upon the polished marble. A sea of faces looked him over as he made is way in a stately fashion that still made him look graceful, despite its militaristic style. From the corners of his eyes, he could see a variety of looks from the members of the court as he made his way to the dais in front of him. Anger, jealousy, curiosity, confusion, these were just a few of the emotions that played out on the faces weighing him and taking his measure as he marched down that long aisle. 

All of this having been seen from the corner of his eyes, as his gaze never left the dais and the people located there. The king and queen seated in their ornate thrones side by side, their hands joined. Vivian standing regally, yet her eyes haunted, to the side of the queen. Tobias, standing one step down the dais and forward slightly, as if in a guard position, holding himself at a rigid parade rest in front of his sister. Her hair a glowing, fiery red, dressed in a gown of beautiful greens and blues, her bearing was every bit the princess. His Brigit. He knew now that he did not want to wait to lay forth his claim for suit. He loved her and he wanted her to be his wife. 

Stopping the perfect two paces before the bottom step of the dais, he fluidly dropped to one knee, his head bowed, and right hand over his heart in salute, left hand lightly resting on the hilt of his saber. "You have summoned me, my liege, so I am come." he spoke firmly, his tone strong and unwavering. 

Hans looked down at the Major for a moment, not speaking. He then nodded once and spoke, "Rise Major, and take the place your station demands." pointing to where he would stand, opposite Tobias, in front of Vivian. 

Rising, he took the few steps needed to get to his station and turned. His attention was grabbed seconds later by the King standing. Watching the crowd of nobles in the room he did not look back as his King began to speak. 

"This is a difficult time for our Empire. We have been attacked from without, by a race of warriors bent on our destruction. Those that should be our allies have turned from us and experiment in ways that push the boundaries of humanity, attempting to make their bodies likened unto the gods.

"As if this was not enough, We have been betrayed from within. Those of Our own blood, those that we ourselves begat have sided with our enemies in an effort to overthrow Our rule. One man stood in the way of this plot. This man now stands before you, the Commander of the Royal Lance." 

A murmur passed among the assembled at the conformation of what the rumors had spoken of for weeks. 

Holding up a hand, the king called for silence. "Yet despite all this that we have to fear, there is also that which can be celebrated. We have been unknowingly re-united with an old ally, a family that has supported the crown since before the realm was created. Again, I speak of the same man." 

Only by force of will was Mykal able to avoid looking at his king in confusion, quickly followed by a message from the queen. [All will be made clear. I apologize for the secrecy, but it had to be done this way]. 

"Major, step forward if you please." 

Turning sharply, Mykal moved over before the King, head bowed in reverence. "Turn and face the court."

After doing so, he heard the king move up behind him and felt his heavy hand land on his shoulder. "This young man, this Officer of our Battlemech Corps, has shown loyalty to our crown that we cannot repay. However, by setting right a wrong that we did not know of at the time, and were only able to recently prove and attempt to rectify, can we begin to repay all that we owe to him." Feeling a slight tugging on his coats shoulder boards, Mykal glanced over and saw that the king was removing his rank and insignia marking him as the Commander of the Royal Lance. 

His gut clenching, he took a slow steadying breath to attempt to calm his self. [Did I do something wrong? Did I overstep my bounds? What's wrong?] He sent a desperate note to the queen. 

[Darling man, of course you didn't. But for us to reward you properly, we must take these steps.]

"The rank and title that we bestowed was not enough. We slighted this hero of the realm. Though it was unintentional, it still happened." Hans announced to him, but for the benefit of the assembled courtesans.

"Mykal, you have been raised in our nation, as a ward of the government. This injustice must be made right. We bestow upon you your rightful rank of the peerage. I give you Archduke Mykal McDaniel of the house of Kurtoran." Stepping forward, the king stood next to him and turned him so that they were looking eye to eye. Reaching up, the king pinned two new insignia's onto the coat's shoulder boards. The insignias looked much like the ones that had just been removed with the addition of a house seal emblazoned into them; a house seal that had not been used in almost twenty years.

In a hushed voice Hans spoke to him, a hand on each shoulder. "Son, look at me. You were given to the orphanage system as a means to protect you. There were and may still be many people out there that did and will want you dead, just for being who you are. You have had mine and my family's backs for so long, now it is time for us to have your back as well." Turning him toward the court he stepped apart from him slightly and addressed the crowd. "Know this; the house of Kurtoran is once again second only to the house of Davidov." 

A thunderous cheer came forth in his honor. Despite his overwhelming feelings, as he looked out on the crowd, he did notice one thing. Not everyone smiled as they cheered.

*********

Mykal paced back and forth, one hand gesticulating wildly as he ranted. "You knew? You knew about this and you waited to tell me like this?" 

"I had ideas. I had theories. It wasn't until just a couple of days ago that I knew for sure." Elaine said, sipping from her drink. 

"Why didn't you tell me at that point?" 

Hans spoke up at this point. "You have to realize that your mother disappeared so long ago, with no reason as to why she vanished. Had we known, we would have helped her, kept her safe. Whatever she was running from, she didn't want us involved in."

"Then why do it?" Mykal asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Because Brigit refuses to marry anyone else, not that I mind, and we are not going to be able to keep her status secret much longer." Elaine said, looking at her youngest daughter. "If we had announced her becoming the Heir before she is known to have a suitor, there would have been lines of nobles willing to fight to the death to marry her and an unreal amount of plotting to ensure various people would win." Looking to Mykal she continued.

"Not to mention that you are very close an equal rank to her now because of it. It will also help with having you in charge of so much military power if you are from a house that is known to have been such a strong supporter of the crown."

Mykal took a deep breath, muttering about politics. Looking up at Brigit who sat quietly watching him pace, he spoke. "So how does this work now?" 

Hans shook his head. "We continue on as we were. We build our forces back and take back our planets."

Mykal closed his eyes and took a deep breath to clear the sudden tightness in his throat. His entire life he had had dreams of being the long lost son of a noble family, that his being put up for an adoption that never came was an accident, a mistake. 

Turns out it wasn't just a dream. 

Feeling small arms wrap around him he opened his eyes and looked down into Brigit's bright blue eyes. Nuzzling into his chest she whispered so only he could hear. "I'm sorry." 

Wrapping his arms around her he kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent. "I'm okay. Really. It's just a lot to take in. You would think I would be used to all the overwhelming. "

After a somewhat strained silence, Hans cleared his throat. "Am I going to have to worry about being a grandfather before I should be?"

Elaine shot her husband a glare. "Stop that Hans. What we do need to worry about is keeping Vivian's condition from becoming common knowledge until we can get certain things taken care of."

Mykal looked over Brigit's head at his queen. "What certain things are those?"

"We know who your mother is, but we have a distinct lack of information as to who your father is. He was not in our DNA database to be compared against." 

Mykal sighed. "That means he wasn't from our nation doesn't it?" He looked over at Hans.

Hans nodded. "Finding out who your father is would be nice as I don't want it coming up and biting us in the ass at a later date." he said with a pointed look at Brigit's back.

"Wouldn't look good for the future queen to be caught slumming with some foreign nobody's bastard son would it?" Letting out a grunt as Brigit punched him in the side.

"Not funny." She whispered into his chest.

"I know, but I have to start seeing things as how the court and the politicos would see it or try and represent it. It's all about personal power to them. They don't care if they end up taking down the kingdom around their ears."

"I told you he was a quick study." Elaine said from her seat on the couch. 

Brigit turned and looked toward her mother with an eyebrow raised. Elaine shook her head looking down into her glass. 

"Then when mother? I think I have been exceedingly patient."

"You are the one that wanted it done the right way. And with the way things are working out, it's a good thing that you decided that." 

"The right way wasn't supposed to take this long." 

Hans looked between the two women that were now facing each other down as they had their strange argument. Looking over to Mykal he asked, "Do you have any idea what they are talking about?" 

"I have an idea, but I'm not getting in the middle of it." 

Spinning on him Brigit's eyes flashed. "Maybe you should get into the middle of it. Or now that you are titled you don't want to keep me around?"

Stepping forward Mykal wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close and whispered softly in her ear. "Do you really want to do this in front of your parents?"

Shaking her head slightly she wrapped her arms around him again. 

Whispering in her ear again held her tight. "I love you Brigit. I am not going to let you get away from me and I am going to make you my wife. Even if it means I have to deal with being the King someday."

Brigit immediately stiffened and looked up at him, her eyes as wide as saucers. Looking over at her mother she smiled. "You're right, he is quick."



Betrayal



"You fucking whore!" 

That was all I heard before I started hearing the beginning of the destruction. I slowly opened my eyes and lifted my head from my pillow. I had been having such a nice dream, but not anymore. Reality just became very bleak.

"You fucking whore! Why do you do this shit to me? I thought you were never speaking to him again? Then I wake up this morning and hear your phone going crazy. Guess who it is texting you again? You fucking whore!"

He was still screaming. I was still in a daze. I could see he had my phone. I knew I had locked it, but when is that ever a guarantee? So here we go. I had fucked up and now I would be paying for it. I hoped he wouldn't leave me, just punish me somehow. I really do love him. He makes me feel complete and whole. I just have strange urges and attractions to people I shouldn't. 

My phone went zipping past my head. He had thrown it at me. It made a strange cracking noise, and I saw it break into about six different pieces. Well there's another hundred dollars out the window. Not to mention another hole in the wall to repair.

"I am sorry. Please stop." Was all I managed to squeak out. 

He grabbed my shoulders then. I started crying. I couldn't even look at him. I was so ashamed. How had I let myself hurt him? My big honey brown eyes welled up with more tears. I was shaking all over. He was still yelling and shaking me.

"You are such a fucking cunt. I don't even know why I married you sometimes. How can you even sleep in the same bed with me after talking to him? You are nothing but a stupid, slutty whore!" He was crying now. I had really hurt him. 

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into me. I whispered over and over how sorry I was. I didn't want him hurt by my actions. I wanted him and his forgiveness. I wanted him to love me. 

"I do love you, or else I wouldn't put up with your dumb ass! I love you so much and you still hurt me." He was still mad but starting to calm down. He had hit the wall a few times. Thrown a couple laundry baskets full of clothes all through our house, but at least he seemed to be calming down.

I went back to sniffling and begging for forgiveness. He eased himself to a laying position on the bed. I slowly curled up beside him. He was still mad. I could feel it radiating off his entire being. 

"I want you to make love to me. I am super fucking mad at you, but I can't help loving you so much. But know right now, if you ever pull this shit again I will kill both of you. Him first. You can watch me do it, and then I am going to take it out on you. Do you completely understand?" He said this all with such sadistic calm I was terrified to even answer. I just shook my head yes, and buried myself into his chest.

"Good. Now I really want to be deep inside you. I shouldn't. Fuck knows you shouldn't be allowed to feel any kind of pleasure now, but I need you. I need to feel what's mine wrapped tightly around me." His voice had slightly softened. He started running his fingers threw my hair. I couldn't help but relax into him. I started touching him everywhere. Breathing in his scent.

He quickly removed my clothes. Then he had his clothing discarded on the floor in a matter of seconds. His cock looked amazing. Even through my puffy tear welled eyes I could not mistake how delectable his cock looked. It is a perfect specimen. It's a delicious peachy white. His skin feels like velvet, soft and silky. His cock is about 9" in length with the perfect girth to it. Nice and thick, just perfect for my mouth, pussy, and ass. I absolutely love his cock. 

He is watching me admire him. I can feel his eyes taking in my admiration for his piece. He eases back down on the bed and instructs me to climb onto his lap. I am already hot and wet and slide easily onto his hard cock. I slowly lift up off him and slide slowly back down his length. Raising my pussy all the way up until just the tip of his cock is penetrating my pussy lips. My cunt is shaved smooth and I rub it against his tip. A smile is creeping slowly across his face. I let him thrust gently up and into me as I settle back down. His hands begin to gently pull on my hard nipples. I pick up my pace. Grinding harder against him. Burying him deeper inside of me. I feel him become rigid and suddenly am filled with his hot cream. His moan makes me smile. I kiss him gently and dismount from his lap. Happy to provide him any kind of relief right now.

"That was nice, but you are far from forgiven, my little whore. You are my cum slut, and you need to realize that. I am your Master, not him. You are my pet, not his. I know you have to work tonight, but when you get home you will be getting a little lesson in discipline and obedience. I will not tolerate this again." His words were angry but the look on his face had softened. I knew I would be in for it tonight though. Hopefully it wouldn't be all bad. 

(Part 2)

Work is dragging by so slowly. I have had the strangest day. I got way to drunk the night before and talked to someone I shouldn't have. I got home and puked my guts out, locked my phone and passed out. I thought all would be well. No harm no foul. I should have known better. My husband got into my phone and found harmless but damning texts from someone I shouldn't talk to. So my morning started off with me, still drunk I might add, being woken up with screams and things flying at my head. He would never have hit me with anything, but he definitely came as close as possible. How could I blame him? 

The first text came in about two hours before I would be leaving work. 

"I am still mad at you but I cant help having all these dirty thoughts about you." He said.

"I am so sorry. I am willing to do anything that would make you happy. What are you thinking?" My reply.

"It's selfish but I want you to suck my cock." He said.

"Ok. Anything you want." My reply.

"There's more, but it seems wrong." His reply.

"It's not wrong. Anything you want you can have. No matter how selfish." My reply.

"I want you to suck my cock. Then I want to fuck your tight little pussy. After I get you off, I want you to suck you off my cock. Then I want to stick my fist in you while you are going down on me. And I want to finish by fucking that beautiful ass of yours. I also have a special way I want you to look. I will send you that in a minute. Does this seem selfish?" He said.

"Anything you want I will do. I love you." My reply.

"Good. I love you too." His reply.

Shortly after that I got another text with how he wanted me to look. Now I couldn't wait to get home. I had the perfect plan for how to do everything. My entire thoughts were now on how to completely satisfy my husbands' needs. I had been bad. Tonight would be painful in ways but would end up making things better somehow. I have two hours to go at work and then and hour of company being over, and then I get to play with my darling husband. He wanted to be made to feel better, and I intended to please.

I arrive and home and am greeted with very deep passionate kisses. His lips are soft and warm. His tongue is pressing gently into my mouth. Parting my lips and playing with my tongue. He taste like the sweetest fruit on earth. I moan into his mouth and wrap my arms around his neck. His kisses start becoming more passionate. Deepening in their intensity. What was I thinking the night before? Everything I need is right here for me to take. For me to be taken by. Our kiss is interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Later, my pet." Was all he said as he went to answer the door.

The next hour passed quick enough. We hung out with my brother for a while. Watching the new episode of our favorite ghost show. The entire time all I could think about was how I was going to please my darling lover. I could barely focus on the show let alone the conversation happening around me. My mind wandered to how I would do my make up. What lotion I would put on to make myself soft and smelling delicious.

Soon enough our show was over and my brother took his leave. I got up and gave my husband simple instruction. I told him to stay put until I texted for him. With that I started the process of making everything perfect. I went in the bathroom and stripped naked. I took some extra time making sure my pussy was soft, smooth, and perfectly shaved. I gave my legs and under my arms one more once over and headed to the bedroom. 

My husband had made special requests, and I was in no position to deny him anything. I found my knee-high stripper boots and started getting ready. They are amazing boots. Black leather with bondage rings going up the outsides of them. The heel on them is 8" high. Next I put my long black hair in perfect thick pigtails. Placed perfectly on the sides of my head. He wanted me to wear my make up dark, so I did. I put on my darkest red lipstick. The kind that stays on no matter what your mouth ends up doing. Made my eyes a glittery smoky emerald green to enhance my golden coloring and decided to add a few more finishing touches. I put on my bondage choker and nipple clamps and sent him a text. 

"Come to bed." Was all I wrote.

I lit a candle and got on my knees on the bed. He opened the door within moments of me sending my text. He smiled, as he looked me up and down. It felt like I was being eaten alive by his eyes. I crawled slowly to him. Head down. My husband put his finger under my chin and lifted my head up. I met his eyes.

"You look beautiful, my love. I am glad you do at least know how to follow instructions when they are given to you." He smiled when he said this. I smiled back and reached to undo his pants. He removed his shirt while I slid his pants down to his ankles. I noticed him wearing the boxers I bought him for Christmas and smiled even more. Little things make me happy, and him wearing what I bought him made me very happy.

I removed his boxers and was greeted with his sweet scent and already half erect cock. I looked into his eyes one more time and then gave the head of his dick a lick. Followed by taking his entire length into my mouth. Slowly sucking my way back to his head. I run my tongue around the circumference of his head. Right around where the shaft meets the base of the head. He quivers gently. I take him quickly back into my mouth. Doing deep long strokes. Swallowing all of his cock and then sliding all the way back to the tip. Flicking my tongue gently across the head. Tasting his delicious pre-cum as it trickles out of his cock. I feel him growing in my mouth. Hic cock getting more thick and firm. I run my tongue down the vein underneath his dick as I bob up and down. Going faster and deeper with each thrust. 

He pushes me away and I fall gently back onto the bed. His dark brown eyes flash with heat and love. He is still mad at me, and I am just now realizing it. I also realize I may be in for more pain than I am accustom to. His hand darts out and pulls the chain connecting my nipple clamps. I scream out in a mix of shock and ecstasy. 

"You are such a dirty whore. Get on your knees and bend over so that lovely ass is in my face." He demands.

I turn my back to him and sensually bend over with my taught round ass in the air. His hands begin to gently massage and rub my ass. I moan and push back against him. Unexpectedly, he pushes his face into my pussy and starts probing my clit with his tongue. I rock back against him, forcing his tongue to press harder against my pulsating clit. His tongue starts thrashing quicker and quicker. I push harder against him. His lips suck deep and latch onto my now throbbing clitoris. I scream his name as I come all over his mouth. He moans deep as he begins desperately licking up all my juices.

"Fuck, you taste amazing. " He says as he pushes his cock into me. I quiver as he grabs my hips and starts pounding into me. My orgasm comes quickly this time as he continues to drive his cock deep inside me. Just as suddenly as he pushed into me, he pulled out.

"Now turn around here and lick your delicious cream off my cock." He commands. I immediately do as I am ordered. Grabbing his cock in my left hand and his balls in my right. I greedily start licking and sucking his monstrous cock. Cleaning all my juices off him. The taste is sweet and delectable. He is watching me as I continue to fuck his hard cock with my mouth. Swallowing him deep. Sucking hard and desperately to get him completely clean.

"Mm. You are so lovely. I have been dying to watch you lick your cum off me. I really like watching you taste yourself. Do you like how you taste?" He implored.

"I do. I don't think I would enjoy another girls flavor, but I do enjoy my own." I purred at him.

"Good. I only expect you to enjoy your own. Although, seeing another woman lick your wonderful pussy would definitely make me a happy man." He smirked.

"Keep dreaming!" I laughed as I pushed him away from me.

"Oh no. You don't get to push me away. But you have been very good, so you get to take a little break. So lay back and spread your legs." He gently demanded.

I knew what was coming. I did as told and got on my back, legs spread. He made himself comfortable in between my legs. Slowly running his fingers over my clit; dipping slightly into my wet cunt. I sighed and relaxed as his fingers explored my pussy. Slowly at first. Just one finger gently moving in and out of me. Then he added the second finger. Then the third. I heard the click of the cap from the bottle of lube. I knew the fourth finger and thumb were on their way. I smiled again. Only he has ever done this to me. I have never allowed anyone else such control over my body. 

I snapped back to reality as the cold lube poured over my pussy. He slipped his fourth finger inside me and I could feel my cunt stretch. I moaned and pushed against his hand. He pushed his fingers deeper inside me. I felt the small fire creeping up in me. More lubrication streamed over my pussy. He slowly began to work his whole hand inside me. Pushing gently and slow at first. I thrust against his hand and felt him slide inside me up to his wrist. I moaned again, deeper and more feline like.

"I wish you could feel how amazing your pussy feels. How intense the heat you have inside you is." He whispered. I giggled and relaxed back into his gentle fisting. He was slow at first; then started to pick up the pace. Fucking me with his fist. He shifted his fingers and the most intense sensation shot through me. He had found my g-spot and was hitting it with every pump of his fist. I moaned loud and bucked against him. He took that as a cue, and began fucking me faster and harder with his fist. I came suddenly and more intense then I ever have before. My whole pussy tightened and clenched his fist. It felt like I could break his hand with as hard as I was coming. I screamed loud and pushed hard against him. Clenching tighter and tighter onto his fist. I thought I would never stop coming. Slowly he pulled his hand out of me. I could feel my pussy throbbing and swelling up.

"Fucking you is going to feel wonderful. You have no idea how fucking amazing that was." He said as he climbed on top of me. He shoved his cock deep inside of me. I started coming again the moment his cock was all the way in me. I clawed at his back with my nails. I wrapped my legs tight around his waist and began riding the waves of my orgasms. They came one right after the other. Every thrust of his delicious, throbbing cock sent me waves of ecstasy. I felt like I was going to black out when suddenly he erupted deep inside me. I started flicking my hips quickly against him. Pulling him further into my cunt. He finally collapsed next to me on the bed. I got on my knees and cleaned the mix of our exquisite fluids off him. 

"You are not forgiven but that was a good start. I still want to fuck that beautiful ass of your, but I am afraid that will have to wait till tomorrow night." He gently whispered.

"I am still very sorry, and anything you want I will do. I only ask that you not stop loving me." I gently whispered back.

His lips found mine then. He began kissing me with passion and love. I would not be forgiven tonight, nor would I be forgiven tomorrow. At least I knew when all was said and done we would be ok. That he would still love me. I curled up beside him and fell deep into the best sleep of my life.



Betrayal



Author's note – Thank you for your feedbacks, support and well wishes. It feels good that my work was appreciated. Feedbacks are always welcome, but please make sure to leave your email address =)))

* * *

The day was overcast and grey and the dark clouds that hung low in the evening sky portended rain. Ominous rumbles from the distant hills did little to promise otherwise. But Jenny knew that he would come for he had never missed their weekly rendezvous at the university building. She looked at her wristwatch nothing that it was almost time for him to come. 5.00 pm, he has said – it was ten minutes after that, but she saw no reason to believe that he would not turn up. It was not like Matt to be late, but her faith in his words was as complete as only love and trust could make it.

Sure enough, she spied his tall, handsome figure hurrying through the main gates and towards the library steps where she was sitting five minutes later.

"Sorry I'm late. Jenny, I..." he began in ways of an explanation, but Jenny stopped his embarrassed bluster with an understanding smile and a gentle finger on his lips.

"No explanations required, Matt. I knew that you'd come and I don't mind waiting. I hope that you didn't have to splurge on a taxi like the last time." She said. Matt grinned sheepishly and hung his head in mock shame.

"I'm afraid I did – but I wouldn't dream of skimping on pretty expenses like that when it is you I'm meeting." he replied. His broad, open smile spread across his face, lighting it up like a neon sign. Jenny not for the first time felt her heart melt within her breast.

Matt was the most handsome guy she had ever seen. His dark mane of thick, wavy hair accentuated the firm lines of his finely chiseled face, with its startlingly green eyes and prominent chin and jaw line. His regular workouts in the gym had hardened his streamlined physique, till it resembled one of those Greek statues that she had seen photographs of in history books. On the whole, he was the most perfect formed male she had ever laid her eyes on.

They had first met at a college function last month, where he surprised her by singling her out from the droves of the pretty girls that had turned out their best finery for the occasion. He was not a student of the institute and had boasted openly that he had gate-crushed into the party. Since this was not an unusual occurrence, nobody had minded his unwarranted presence and the unattached girls had been all over him in less than no time. Jenny could still not believe that he had shunned the whole lot of inviting girls for a dance and all the consecutive ones too.

The fact was Jenny was something of a 'Plain Jane', though not without good looks herself. It was just that she was not the vivacious type and she did not make friends easily. This did not prevent her from attending functions like these, but she long ago resigned herself to being the eternal wallflower in them. Matt, by giving her undivided attention that night had made her feet like Cinderella and had more than willingly let her be wooed by him later on. 

In fact, it rankled her that he could meet her only on weekends, though she better than mention this to him. Jenny had been brought up to realize the limits of decency in any situation and knew that throwing herself at this Prince Charming could sour whatever existed between them. What both thrilled and disappointed her was that he had made no sexual overtures to her yet, never deviated from the straight path of courtship at all time. Jenny was not sure how she would have reacted should he have made any physical advances on her, but longed for the experience of finding out.

He was still smiling that luminous smile when she snapped herself out of her thought. She blushed violently.

"Cat got your tongue?" He asked laughingly, looking at her with amusement. "You looked sort of lost there for a moment."

Jenny flustered but still thrilled by his proximity, answered him with the truthful nature of her thoughts, she was that kind of girl.

"Why, Jenny, I'm flattered. I had no idea that you think so much of me." He said, a pleased look on his face. 

Of course, they had been meeting regularly enough and Jenny had paid him no more than a compliment. But the closeness of Matt's muscular body to her had taken her on the verge of admitting the fact that she felt hopelessly attracted to him in more than just on a friendship basis. This, of course, would have transgressed the boundaries of decency. After all, what did she really know about this handsome, enigmatic boy who had come into her life so unexpectedly? He told her about his father's business – Garment Stores, if she recalls correctly and had also frankly admitted that he had dropped out of college long ago to join his family business. But was she justified in considering these sketchy details as sufficient to base a deeper relationship upon? And what did she really know of boys and men and the things that eventually transpired between them and girls? She had never slept with anyone in her whole life...

Feeling his penetrative gaze on her even with down cast eyes, she hunted for something suitable to say. As though he was reading her thoughts, Matt laid his arm around her shoulders and gave her an affectionate hug.

"Jenny, I love you. You know that, don't you?" he asked. His own concern and condition evident in his voice. It was a tone she had never heard him speak in and it made her look up at him with questioning glance. Her heart was somersaulting ecstatically within her breast.

"Yes...I think so, Matt. Why do you ask?" she ventured, hoping to draw him out of his despondency.

The insecure, confused boy she saw now as he sat beside her had little to do with assured and buoyant Matt whom she got together with every Saturday. They had never discussed these matters of heart before and now Jenny could hardly contain her joy at first mention of love from his lips. Matt fidgeted nervously and Jenny was surprised to see a crimson blush creep over his face. After a long awkward pause he seemed to collect his thoughts to answer. With unbelieving fascination, she heard the words she had longed to hear for so long.

"Jenny.... would you let me make love to you?" 

Whatever doubts, misgivings and indecision she might have had before were swept away in an overwhelming tidal wave to love for this guy who had become the epicenter of her whole life. 

They booked themselves into a small hotel on the other side of the city, where no questions were asked for use of a room for few hours. Matt pleaded with her to him if she had any last moment scruples, but her bashful silence was an enough answer.

Once inside they had closed the door of the musky hotel room behind them, they stood awkwardly in front of each other, painfully aware of large double bed that dominated the little enclosure. Matt finally broke the silence, his eyes averted.

"Jenny, I want you to know that I never.... I mean, I'm still..."He stammered. If Jenny had been surprised at herself for her acquiescence, she was astounded at this completely unexpected confession.

"Neither have I, Matt. Do you mean that I.... I'm you first?" she whispered, her senses soaring with delight and attention. It was as though they had been ordained and affection to court and to culminate their relationship in the most meaningful manner possible. And though she found it difficult to believe that this handsome, outgoing guy could have had no lovers before her, his nervous and unsure demeanor seemed to qualify it.

They undressed self consciously, shedding their clothes without taking their eyes off each other. When they were finally nude, Matt approached her haltingly and took her into his arms. The soft flesh of her small breasts pressed enticingly against his chest. He rubbed himself against her, the hair on his chest teasing her cherry like nipples into excited hardness. 

Lowering her gaze, Jenny bit her lip at his engorged penis, which stood stilly upwards with the straining enormity of his desire for her. Jenny felt herself responding – her breath came hot and fast as they slid against each other, getting the feel and meter of each other's genital.

"God, help me...I can't stop myself..." husked Matt, encircling the firm cheeks of her buttocks. Jenny's sharp intake of breath encapsulated the entire gamut of her feelings at this unaccustomed display of intimacy and her mind soared with the maiden acknowledgement of her female charms.

Matt groaned with pleasure as his penis dug frantically between her thighs, which opened reflexively to allow him access to her hitherto unexplored privates. She felt his fingers dig, then claw into her butt and part the cheeks as Matt rubbed his erect manhood along the smooth skin of her thighs. His moans became more pronounced, he gasps for breath as their bodies drew closer and closer together.

His fingers roamed upwards, ranking nails across her back in the passion of his exploration. Jenny gasped with mingled pain and pleasure.

"Matt, please be gentle with me..." she whispered hoarsely. He buried his face in the cleft between her breasts, the nudged to the side to take her hard nipple in his mouth. The feeling that shuddered through her were indescribable – aside from her own private handling of her tender parts – at night under the sheets and with shame of self-abasement upon her – she had never experienced such an onrush of ecstatic sensation. Her nipples throbbed with unbearable pleasure as his tongue licked, encircled and prodded at her and her backed arched backwards to admit him free access.

"Please, Matt, touch me here..." she begged him softly, guiding his hand down to her wet vagina. His fingers parted the vulva gently, rubbing against her clitoris and making her squeal out loud as she approached her summit. Nothing mattered now – nothing but the fusion of their bodies as they melted together. 

When Jenny finally groped and found his aching, pulsating member, he was already on the verge of explosion.

"No, not like this. I want you, Jenny – the way it should be." He groaned. She nodded silently and as she collapsed gently upon the musty mattress, their hands touched and explored each other's privates. With gentle force, he disengaged himself from their passionate embrace and moved backward to part her willing legs. Kissing her thighs from her knees to the aching, moist cleft, he felt her peak and dissolve orgasm under his probing tongue. Crawling up to her so that their sweat-beaded faces came level, he reached down and guided himself gently into her.

Jenny, completely overpowered by the aftermath of her climax and the onset of the next one, hardly felt her maiden head snap under his tender thrust. They swung back and forth, the contact of his stiff organ rubbing against her vulva, her clitoris and digging deep into her, whirling her senses into a maelstrom that sucked her deeper and deeper into abyss of sexual ecstasy. Finally, they clutched at each other with blissful cries that echoed through the room and beyond its flimsy walls and soared to the height of their mutual orgasm, their bodies fused into an inseparable whole of heaving flesh. And the resting in each other's arms.

* * * * * 



"I'm not responsible if she escapes or the police find her. I promised you prime and fresh material, but from now on it's your matter." Matt said. The filthy man that faced him in dim light of the street lamp chuckled displaying tobacco stained teeth.

"Don't worry about that. What makes you think either of those two things will happen? Has any girl ever escaped from here? And as for the police – they're taken care of, as usual," he said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together suggestively.

"Okay, then I'll get her. There'll be more in a month or so. They don't always come as stupid as this one, you know..." Matt said.

He pocketed the sheaf of currency that the man handed him furtively, looking about in all direction to ensure that the transaction went unnoticed. Then he walked quickly, confidently and with a broad, winning grin on his face around the corner.

"Okay, let's go. My friend says it's alright. It's not as good as the hotel room last week, but at least no one will see us." he said when he reached Jenny, who was standing unsurely at the road side and looking fearfully at the surroundings.

"Are you sure, Matt? This area, these buildings and these people...." She said plaintively.

Matt took hold of her arm firmly and began to lead her around the corner. 

"Don't worry about a thing, my love. You'll be alright, he said laughingly as he led her to the grilled cages. A fat woman smoking a cigarette admitted them into one of the open doors. A minute later Matt came out, Alone. 



Betrayal?



She writhed under me as I pumped in and out of her, slowly, filling her with a hot, load of come. As I held myself against her crotch, emptying my balls, fully into her, she groaned and came, softly calling out in her passion.

"Yes, John, fill my cunt with your hot seed."

John? Who was John? She must have realized what she had said as she turned to look at me with her eyes, wide open, a look of horror on her face. I didn't move for a moment then quickly pulled out of her, my cock spent, my mind ablaze with thoughts. Neither of us said anything for what seemed, the longest time.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, reaching for me as I leaned back away from her.

The anger started to well up inside me.

"Who the fuck is John?" I asked, my voice shaking.

She didn't answer which gave me time to think a little. John? Our son's name was John. Is that who said was calling out for? She rolled over onto her side and I could hear her crying softly as the anger continued through my body. 

"Who the fuck is John?" I asked again, rolling her over roughly, so I could see her face.

The tears were running down her cheeks and she was sniffling as she looked up at me.

"I'm sorry Peter. It was a mistake," she finally said, the tears running more freely down her face.

"What the fuck does that mean?" I asked angrily, trying to control my voice.

She hesitated before speaking.

"It was a mistake and it will never happen again, I promise."

I started to control my trembling anger and looked her straight in her eyes.

"I think you better tell me what this is all about and right now," I commanded.

"I don't know if I can," she mumbled, trying to avert her eyes from mine.

I reached out and held her head between my hands.

"Right now."

She hesitated for another moment and then started.

"It was quite innocent," she said. "I saw him in his room."

"Who? In whose room?" I asked quickly, wanting to hear the whole story.

"John. I saw John in his room." she answered.

So it was our son she had called out for. He had just come home on leave from the army and was staying another few days before he had to get back on duty. 

"You fucked John?" I asked loudly.

She looked frightened now but nodded her head.

"When did this happen?"

"Just this afternoon."

"Ok, Viv. You better tell me all about it."

She wiped her face with her hand and sat up in the bed before saying anything. 

"I saw him in his room, quite by accident. I was just going in to ask him if he had any laundry that he wanted done and he was lying on his bed, pumping his erection with his hand. He had his eyes closed and I heard him mutter my name just as he came. I watched his cock spurt come all over the bed and him as he groaned, over and over again. When he opened his eyes, he saw me standing, watching him. I couldn't move. I was mesmerized by what I saw. I hadn't, until that moment, realized that he was a grown man now. I don't know what came over me but watching him pumping his huge cock and seeing his come all over the bed and him, made my knees weak. 

I remember the silence in the room being overwhelming as we stared at each other until he reached out his hand, beckoning me to come over to him. I didn't for a moment then slowly, I found myself, wanting him more than anything in my life. Up to then, I had never had any reason to think sexually about him but when I saw the size of him and heard him call my name, something came over me and I couldn't resist."

"Go on."

"I remember walking over to him and his hand touching me. It made me shudder and my knees felt weak, all of a sudden. I watched him as if I was looking down from above as he undressed me and pulled me into bed with him, his hands suddenly on my body, kneading and probing, making me want him more. I was out of control. His hands and hot body next to mine were so intoxicating that I just let him, do whatever he wanted."

My anger, by this time, was subsiding as I listened to her. I even found my balls were tingling, a little as I listened and I wanted to hear everything as she continued her tale.

"I wanted to resist but I couldn't. I wanted him so much right then, I would have done anything he wanted. His body was so hard against mine that I thought I would explode, he felt so good next to me. The thought, that he was my son, never came across my mind. All I knew, at that moment, was that I wanted him to fuck me. He was very gentle but at the same time, rough enough to make my body respond. He licked my nipples, sucking them into his mouth and running his tongue around them, gently biting them, making them hard and sensitive. 

I remember the feeling of him, as he roamed with his tongue all over my breasts and I gave in to him, surrendering my whole body to him. I felt him suddenly, between my legs, slowly parting them, opening them so he could see my opening. I could feel the wetness down there and the next thing I knew, his tongue was on me, slowly running up and down my crack, tasting me, probing for my opening. I felt him raise my legs over his shoulders and then his tongue found my clit. 

I felt waves of pleasure ram through me as he sucked my clit into his mouth, gently running his tongue over and over it, filling it, engorging it to the point where it was sticking out at him, making it easier for him to suck on it. His hot mouth was making me crazy and I wanted him to fuck me so badly. All I could think of was his huge cock that I had watched him pump and I wanted him inside me, fucking me with it, slow and hard. I wanted to feel him come inside me in the worst way. I wanted his seed, deep inside me.

I pulled him up my body and our mouths found each other, our tongues exploring each other's mouth as I felt his hardness next to my opening. I pulled him tighter to me, and his cock slid into me, filling my cunt fully. I had never had such a large cock inside me before and the feeling, was, well, I don't exactly know how to explain it but it felt so wonderful, I couldn't wait for him to start pumping it in and out of me, fucking me with it. I tried to pull him deeper into me and I heard him groan softly as he started to slowly, thrust in and out.

I could feel the thickness of him rubbing my insides as he continued. He fucked me for a long time. All I could do was hang onto him and enjoy him as he fucked me, our skin making hideous noises as they slapped together every time he thrust into me."

By now, I was fully erect. Hearing her story had made me forget about my anger and now I so excited that all I wanted to do was fuck her, fuck her hard and fast, fill her cunt with my hardness but something was stopping me. As I looked down at her, her tears had dried and her eyes had softened, the fright gone from them. Now there was only lust as she continued. 

"When I felt him come inside me, I thought my head was going to explode. He sent waves of hot come, deep up into my womb, over and over again until he stopped and held himself against my cunt, his cock deep inside me, his come surrounding him. I held him for another few moments then let him pull out of me. Neither of us said anything but just looked at each other. I felt his come running down my crack and onto my legs as I lowered them, my cunt still open to him. He moved down and started to suck me, licking all his come off me and sucking as much of it out of me as he could. I came again as I felt his tongue inside me and I wanted him to never stop.

After a few minutes, he raised his head and looked at me. There was nothing to be said. Yes, I was his mother but now, I was more. I was his lover and I wanted him again. He then helped me off the bed and my legs were shaking so much, he had to hold me for a moment or two until I found the strength to walk. I picked up my clothes and walked, unsteadily, out of his room, leaving him watching me from the bed. I didn't look back but I wanted to. I wanted to feel his hot body against mine but I knew that I couldn't, at least, not at that moment.

I went in and had a shower, the thoughts of him inside me running through my body, making me reach down and finger myself, feeling his wetness and mine together, until I came again. When I got out of the shower, I didn't even put anything on, I just walked out of the bathroom without a thought and headed back to his room. I wanted him so badly. We spent the whole afternoon together, him filling me over and over again as I clung to him, wanting him, needing him, feeling him."

She stopped and looked up at me, pleading with her eyes, for me to forgive her. I moved away from her, not taking my eyes off hers. She followed me with them and I started to scan her body, as she lay in place. She had always kept herself in good shape, exercising regularly, biking and swimming to tone herself. Now I could see how John would want her, her lightly tanned skin so soft and pliable, her legs, long and shapely, her breasts full and ripe. I could see how any man, not only my son and I, but any man would want her, feel her heat surround them and feel her pull them into her without abandon. 

"Are you going to let John fuck you?" I asked softly.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Would that bother you?" she asked after a long silence.

"No, as long as you and him keep it quiet."

For the first time, I saw a look of relief come over her.

"There's one other thing. You have to tell me every time you two fuck. I want to hear all about every time and maybe, I'll even join you."

She leaped over to me and gave me a hug, squashing her breasts against me.

"I will tell you everything. I won't keep anything from you. Every time he sinks his huge cock into me, I'll tell you about it and all the details."

I smiled to myself as I held her, thinking about, what it would be like to be in bed, with the two of them. I hoped I wouldn't have to wait too long.



Betrayal?



I felt as though I was floating through our front door. She knew that I would be coming home from work at this time, so why did things feel so different? An unknown truck, one of those big wheel trucks with the plastic testicles hanging off the back, was parked out in the front of our house. Opening the front door needed no key, telling me that the door was shut in haste. My wife's shoes were thrown around the base of the stairs. 

Slowly walking up the stair way I found the rest of my wife's wardrobe strewn around the stairs, finally finding her bra and panties thrown sloppily on the stairway landing. The next bombardment of my senses was when I heard the moans. 

Being married to my wife for over 3 years, but being with her for over 10 years, I have had my share of pleasurable moments with this woman; but I have never heard her moan with so much pleasure in her voice. 

"OOOHH! Fuck Me! Show me how a real man works his dick!"

I wanted to freeze, right where I was and curl up into a little ball waiting for it to be over. But I felt myself gliding to the bedroom door and opening it up. There was my wife, on all fours. She was rocking back onto his dick at such a pace that I thought she would fall over at any second with exhaustion. Her tits were flopping up and down, faster and faster. I was mesmerized. 

Thing next thing I saw was her look up into my eyes with such passion, I wanted nothing more than to watch her fuck like this all day. She smiled at me and said, "Michael, I think we are over...."

I sat up so fast that my wife, who was asleep next to me, screamed thinking there was something in our house. It was the dream. The dream I have been having for over 8 years.

Before my wife and I were married, basically just getting serious, she left me multiple times for adventurous sexual relations with other men. I couldn't exactly blame her. She is 5 feet 4 inches tall, just over 105 lbs, blond hair, blue eyes, nice round ass, and topped of with a killer pair of breasts. She is the exact replica of any mans wet dream.

She was also very experienced with sex, where I was a virgin when we meet and still to this day, never been with another woman. I knew she needed to quench certain sexual needs that I apparently could not satisfy. 

Most of the time she would end up with one particular guy, John, who, from her description, had a dick the size of a soda can. How could I compete with that? I am not small but I am also not huge. I am just over the average mark.

Of course her need to cheat on me hurt me. But I was whipped. We connected on every other level. Finally, after we decided to settle down and get married, her adventures stopped. We got married, started careers, and screwed until the sun came up. 

I knew that she needed more than I could give her. But I was just afraid of her wanting to leave me if I opened up our marriage to other people. Hence, where the dreams came in. 

My wife reached over and placed her hand on my back, trying to soothe me. I have never told her what I dreamed of when I woke with a start so many times. She stroked my back, finally placing her hand on my leg where she brushed my hard dick. 

"It couldn't have been that bad of a dream if you woke up with this!" She said as she began stroking my hard cock. I had mixed emotions as she was jerking me off. Do I want to see her with another man? I guess I don't have to be selfish and keep her all to myself...Do I want other people to see what I get ever day and night? 

I decided it was time to see what she thought...See if she would go along with it...

She bent down over my cock and began licking up and down sucking the tip when she got to it. She slowly sank her lips all the way down to the base of my dick and slowly coming back up, sucking all the way. 

I said, "Lynn, do you ever miss the old days?"

"The old days? What do you mean the old days?" She replied, never taking the attention off of my hardening dick. 

"Well, you know how I keep having these dreams?" She replied with a muffled "yes"

"I keep dreaming of walking in on you getting fucked by another man..." She stopped for the briefest second "but its not just any man, its John. Every time I walk in, I have, well, what you are working on right now. I am starting to think that maybe we should try to swing with another couple...?"

She sat up grabbing my dick and placing at the entrance of her already soaking wet pussy. 

"So, let me get this straight," she said "you want, you and I to get with another couple. You want to watch me fuck another man, while you fuck another chick?" 

"Well, yes...? What do you think?"

I didn't think I need a verbal yes or no from the way she was riding my dick. Her hips were sliding back and forth on top of me. She began her first orgasm, she was moaning, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she just enjoyed the orgasm. Without saying anything to me, and knowing what I love, she did a quick 180 on me facing the other way, and began bouncing up and down letting her pussy go all the way up to the tip of my dick and then slamming it back down giving me the view of her perfect ass. 

It only took another couple of seconds for me to shoot the build up of sperm deep into her pussy. I couldn't help but moan a couple times as I felt my body spasm. As I was moaning, I felt her body shudder as she began her second orgasm. 

I was just coming down from my sexual high and letting out my last moan, when I could have sworn I heard "oohh John..."

I wanted to ask her...but I couldn't say anything. Was I right to bring up that I wanted to sleep with another couple? Or was that just my hormones? I was about to tell Lynn that I said all that stuff just to roll play when she said "Michael, as much as I get turned on by the idea, I don't think I can see you with another woman. I have no problem with making you happy by fucking another man, or even experimenting with another woman for you. Call me selfish, but I don't want you being with anyone but me. "

Again, the feelings I was getting after her confession began stirring some dormant thoughts in my head...Did she just say she would experiment with a woman? She would fuck another man? Before I knew it, my dick began hardening inside her pussy. I haven't been able to get a second erection this quickly since about 4 years prior. To my wife's pleasure, she began utilizing the opportunity of my dick growing inside her. She knew what she said was turning me on and that she could take advantage of the situation. 

"Oh Michael...Do you want me to fuck other people?" She said as turned around, faced me and leaned down so her mouth was right next to my ear. Riding me slowly she said, "Do you want me to fuck another man? Do you want me to do it behind your back? Or do you want me to come home and tell you ever detail? How I seduced him, what his dick felt like the first time I felt it in my hands, the flavor of his dick in my mouth, the size of his cock, and how it felt in my pussy?"

I wanted her to fuck me harder, but every time I tried, she would pull her pussy off my dick until I stopped. 

"Tell me Michael, is that what you want me to do? Why don't I make you a deal... If you let me fuck other men, I will let you video tape me with another woman. I will let you watch as I fuck another woman. What do you think about that idea?"

"Lynn, I think we can work that out. Please, if you change your mind about letting me fuck another woman, let me know. But, yes in the mean time, you can do whatever you want."

At this, she began fucking me with all abandonment. All I could think about were images of her fucking another woman and other men quickly flowing through my head. The last thing that came through my head before I began spurting a large amount of sperm into her, was the image of John fucking her from behind. Imagining his large dick pistoning in and out, stretching her cunt pushed me over the edge. 

I heard myself moan and say "John". I heard her quietly laugh and say, "yes, John....Ohhhh!!"

It was around 3 in the morning, I was up all night, waiting. I had popped open a beer, and started the night watching a movie. Once the movie finished, and 8 beers later, I moved onto playing Halo. I kept looking out the window, waiting for a vehicle to pull up. A few weeks prior, Lynn approached me letting me know that while she was on her lunch break, she sat next to a young married man who began hitting on her right away. Apparently, the attraction was mutual because there was more than chatter and laughter that was exchanged. 

Lynn came home that night ready to fuck. She threw me on the bed and asked me what I thought...If I thought this was a good time for her to fuck another man...I slowly nodded my head yes. 

She left to meet him at 7 for dinner and whatever else happened. I was just starting another game of Halo when, her car drove up into the driveway and into the garage. She opened the door from the garage, walked in and looked at me. Her hair was tussled, her cloths were put on hastily, and she just looked used. 

She walked up to me, looked me in the eyes, grabbed my hand and pulled me up to our bedroom. On the way up, I was nervous that I would be upset that we made this decision. I looked at her legs, and followed them up under her skirt. Looking for evidence of her escapades. 

Once in the bedroom, she tore her clothes off, tearing at mine at the same time. I went to the bed and lay down, waiting for her to come to me. I asked "Did it happen?" 

She said "I need you to eat me. I need you to eat all the juices out of me while I tell you what happened."

She got up on the bed, positioned her pussy over my head and lowered herself down onto my eager mouth and began with "Michael, it was amazing..."

(To Be Continued)



Betrayal



"Sir?"

You stare at me. You know something is wrong. I said hello... and then nothing. Every question met with a single one word answer. Every time you try to get intimate. I coldly say I am not In the mood.

You are a mix of frustrated and worried. You go get me something to drink and bring it to me. I simply nod at you and go back to watching tv. I've been like this for a couple days and you don't know why. 

"What's the matter?" you come out and ask.

"Nothing."

"You are so distant.... What's wrong?"

I turn and stare at you. I take a sip of the soda you brought me. We had planned you coming over for dinner and other fun tonight. We had been talking for a while.. Having met on an "adult" dating site. You are dressed in a black, skin tight dress. It has a corset top and your breasts are bulging out of it. Your thigh high boots cling to you like a second skin. Yet I have made no demands and no movement towards you. You have no idea what you may have done to displease me. 

"You have no idea huh?" I say and finish the soda and put the cup on the table. I sit back and glare at you... "I was worried about you after the tornadoes went through and was relieved when we talked that night and you and your son were OK. Then the next day I was up cleaning my apartment and hadn't heard from you all day and turned on the computer in case you hopped on . I guess you could say I was missing you. " I say the last one with a somewhat melancholy smile as I grab the remote and start looking through the guide. 

I check to see a show's description for a moment before I continue"Something came to me about you saying someone sent you an early birthday present... so I was wondering when your birthday was. I logged in to the site we met on for the first time in... forever. And pulled up your profile to see what your birthday was. And it said you were 'Online Now' though I hadn't heard from you all day. I checked again about an hour later and it still said you were on line. " I keep watching tv.. not even looking at you for a reaction. "I admit I was feeling... Jealous. MY pet was on line.... probably talking to other doms. Maybe letting someone else make that cunt that belongs to me get wet. And I sat here wondering... is she someone else's slut as well as mine"

"But sir I was just..." you start before I cut you off abruptly

"Shut up you fucking whore.... I should have known a slut like you needed more control then I was giving you. It's my own fault for giving you too much freedom." I stand up and walk over to you.. I look you up and down and shake my head with a wry laugh. "God only knows how many cocks you've had in you aside from mine. Fucking whore. " 

You dip your head... embarrassed... ashamed at how mad you have gotten me. I haven't raised my voice once. But the disapproval is palpable. 

You jump as you feel my finger force your head up. "You will look at me when I talk whore!" My eyes are fierce as I glare at you. "What is it slut? You don't like when I spank you?" I ask as I smack your ass harder than I ever have. ... There is no playfulness in it.... No tenderness... this is more than punishment. "Don't like when I cum in you?" I smack your ass hard again. I grab you by your hair and pull your head back harshly my voice an angry, terse whisper through my clenched teeth. "You betrayed me whore."

"no sir... no i.." you start before I force my fingers into your mouth... gagging you with my hand.

"Don't... FUCKING... talk to me you fucking slut... don't you EVER try to excuse this you fucking bitch"

I start to walk... pulling you by your jaw down the hallway... you have tears coming out of your eyes... not from any pain... if anything you are excited by my anger and by the treatment... but you keep thinking how you betrayed me... how you let me down.... That you brought unhappiness to me.

I kick open the bedroom door. I pull my hand from your mouth and throw you face first onto the bed... you start to get up but I push you down... my weight holding you down "DON'T... FUCKING.... MOVE" I order you... my voice rising. "You like having other cocks in that cunt? Fine you fucking whore" I take your hands and pull them behind you and reach over where I had laid out some items you are now just noticing... I pick up a set of restraints and cuff your hands behind you. I get up... you try to stand but I force you down again... I reach over and grab a paddle, and then bring it down hard on your ass again... the sound of the smack filling the room.

"You want to talk to other doms for hours on end?" I smack your ass again.

"You want to not talk to your master when you know he was worried about you?"

SMACK

"You want to let someone else bring this cunt..." SMACK

"MY FUCKING CUNT.... To climax?"

SMACK

You are whimpering. This is harsh... punishing.... Your pussy is on fire. 

"You whore... you're dripping wet. " I smack your ass again. I throw the paddle down on the bed. You turn trying to see what I'm doing... if I would just listen to you.. .you could let me understand ...

"Sir please..."

"SHUT UP. Do I have to fucking gag you bitch?"

You shake your head, crying openly now at how angry I am 

I walk back to you and you feel something very unceremoniously slide up your ass and you cry out at the pain as the cock shaped anal plug slides into you.

"You want cocks in you so fucking bad then take them bitch... raise your fucking ass up for me"

You straighten your legs so your ass is up in the air... hovering a bit above the bed.... I force a thick vibrator about half up your pussy... then kick your leg out from under you so you fall on it, driving it fully up into your cunt... you gasp and cry out. "I gave you what you needed... was tender with you... was a caring master... but then you betray me like this...You want to sneak around like a worthless slut then that's how you're going to be treated.. Like a worthless... fucking... slut"

The vibrator is pressing against your clit as I walk out of the room. You try to struggle against the restraint but after a moment I come back in the room. I see you trying to stand and become more infuriated. 

"Did I tell you you could get up whore?" I ask as I toss your purse on the bed next to you... you wonder briefly why I got it... before you answer "n...no Sir"

I pull you up to your feet by your hair. Your face covered in tears... "Please sir let me explain"

"I won't tell you again you fucking bitch. Shut your fucking mouth unless I tell you otherwise."

You bite your lip and look at me pleadingly..

I smirk and then, sliding both my hands between your dress and your breasts... I rip the front open as I tear it away ... ruining the dress... leaving you wearing only your boots.

You cry.... Staring at me... your eyes begging me to forgive you... but I just grab your chin with one hand.... Tilting up your head... my other hand reaches down... and pulls something from out of your purse on the bed. It's your lipstick.... I take the top off and start to write something on your chest.... I place the lipstick on the dresser and get my camera... I start taking pictures of you standing there... crying.... Naked... a vibrator deep in your cunt...

I smile as I examine the pictures then walk over and show you one... the word "SLUT" in bold red letters across your chest. I then force you back over the bed into your front... I walk over and get your lipstick again and start writing on your ass. You look back over your shoulders. You want to ask what I will do with the pictures.... But you dare not speak again... I take a few more and then walk over and show you one.... The word "whore" written over your ass.. the end of the anal plug sticking out of you.

"There now you're labeled with what you are" I say... a hint of disgust in my voice as I move behind you. You feel me grab your arms... and then feel the restraints come off your hands.

"Pump that cunt with the dildo you fucking whore. You want another cock so fucking bad use that fake one"

You whimper as you roll over and sit on the bed... my camera is on you and you can tell I am recording you... you timidly take the vibrator and pull the vibrator out and then in again... your hand trembling. 

"I said FUCK THAT WORTHLESS SLUT CUNT HARD YOU FUCKING WHORE!" I practically scream at you... your heart is racing.... And you feel a rush as you start to pump yourself harder... deeper... over and over... you stare at me... hoping to see a look of approval. But you see a cold... emotionless face... I make no move to join you... no move to praise you... just record you.

You bring yourself to climax for me... moaning loudly as you know I like to hear you moan. But again, you illicit no response. I simply put down the camera. And go to the closet. I get out a simple shirt and shorts outfit you have left over here and toss it to you on the bed.

"Get dressed and get out. When you decide to only my pet... let me know and I will consider it." Is all I say as I leave the room, leaving you to your tears.



Betrayal



By Woodmanone copyright June/2012

There are no descriptive sex scenes in this story. So what's new? Same ole, same ole for my work.

Constructive comments, emails and critiques are requested and much appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope you enjoy it.





Betrayal



Louie took a step toward Ben as he opened the knife again. "Louie, behave yourself," Moe said. "Ben just do your job and let me worry about Miss Johnson."

Ben shook his head and left. He knew arguing with Moe was a waste of time. The guy thinks he's a real hood, now that he's getting into prostitution, Ben thought. Maybe it's time I find another line of work.





Betrayal



"Not that I'm not grateful for your help and everything, but how long do you think we'll have to run?" Retta's smile had disappeared.

"Don't really know just yet," Ben admitted. "When I decided to take you and run, that's all I'd planned."

Retta's smile returned. "It's okay; I'm seeing a lot of the country that I've never seen before."

Ben walked across the road to the Big Spring Café to get breakfast the next morning, Retta was still sleeping. As he finished his very large breakfast, Red Sinclair sat down at his table.

"Howdy," he said and reached across and took a piece of Ben's toast. "Y'all sure do put the food away. Course I don't do to bad myself," he said and patted his large stomach.

"Help yourself to some toast or something," Ben grinned at the big man.

"Was talkin to the County Sheriff this morning," Red mentioned as he put some jelly on the toast. "Said the police chief over to Poplar Bluff called and said to look out for a big man and a blond woman. Chief said he'd received a BOLO about these two. Seems they stole some money from a St. Louis business man named Moe Farrell. He was told they were drivin a white Ford Taurus. Said this business man in St. Louis was offering a big reward to find them." 

Red caged a cup of coffee from a passing waitress. "I told Milt, that's the Sheriff, he'd be better off forgettin about that call." He finished his coffee and stood, "Course that don't mean nothing to you, but I thought it was a mite interestin. See y'all."

"Thanks Red."

"For what? Don't have nothing to do with anyone I know." Red leaned closer to Ben. "Ifin I was that couple, I'd head down to Arkansas. Lots of country to get lost in down there." He turned and left the café with a wave. 

"Pack up," Ben ordered when he returned to the cabin. Retta was just finishing getting ready for the day. He explained what Red had told him. "Seems Moe's brought some trumped up charges against us and he's got the police working for him." Ben grabbed their suitcases, threw them in the bed of the truck but stopped before he and Retta got in.

Ben looked at Retta for several seconds. "Moe's boys won't recognize you now, what with your dark, short hair. The only thing that ties you in to all this, is me. I think you should take a bus out of here. I'll lead anyone looking for us in another direction." He pulled three packs of money out of his jacket. "This is $15,000; it should get you some place safe and give enough for a fresh start."

"But you're still recovering from your wound," Retta protested.

"I'm healed enough to drive," Ben replied. He sighed and said, "Don't you understand? I'm the one that stands out; without me around you can slip past them and be free."

"But I don't want to be free," Retta said. "Not if it means being free of you too. Can't I stay?"

"Ever seen Arkansas?" He asked and motioned Retta into the truck.





Betrayal



With help from Red, who knew the company men for Phillips Petroleum in southern Missouri, Ben bought the only service station in a twenty mile radius of Lake Wappapello. The station also had a marina directly on the lake to service boats. 

Again with help from Red, Ben hired two young men to help run the marina and service station. He was following in Red's footsteps in that he could either close his business when he and Retta wanted to get away or at least have someone else run it for him.

"I'll make a fisherman and hunter out of you yet. I might even get you to like camping," Retta said as she sat down in her husband's lap.

"Fishing and hunting yes," Ben replied. "But not camping. My idea of roughing it is a hotel with no room service." 

"It's only been a year since we got married and moved to the lake, just give me time to work on you." Retta smiled as Ben ran his hand over her stomach pregnant with their first child. 

"Besides, our son will want to go camping; I'll make sure of that."

The End