AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“See here, Madame, how the girl is stimulated by this action? I assure you that as far as I am concerned, her training and examinations have all the appearance of having been conducted to the standards of the Imperator. I therefore conclude that your claims are meritless, as far as procedure goes.”
“I will not stand here and listen to this! It’s an outrage—”
“That may be so, Madame,” the Commissar said, standing and removing his gloves with a snap. “However, as a matter of the Imperator’s Court and Realm of Systemic Order, by the power invested in me by said Imperator…” He tossed the gloves into a garbage drone. “The matter is indeed closed.”
“But I—”
“You have had your day in court, Madame. And now you must accept my judgment. Or do you wish for me to report to the Imperator that you are in defiance of his orders?”
High Mother snapped her mouth closed, and anger flamed in splotches all over her face. She in fact looked like she might explode. Then she turned haughtily and demanded to leave the ship.
The Commissar ordered a guard to release Quaia from her restraints. He did so, and she was able to sit normally, though still naked, on the chair. She was relieved that High Mother had departed, and had somewhat of a comeuppance. However, she was still vulnerable and naked in the middle of a room full of men.
And anxious to see Torian again as soon as possible. Her heart throbbed when she thought of their last meeting, their interrupted conversation, the places it had maybe been going.
“Call forward Captain Torian,” the Commissar barked distractedly, tapping away at a tablet. Looking over the top of it, he met Quaia’s eye. “It seems everything is in order here, Miss Sangsen. I will forward this information to the Imperator. Your Ripening is complete at this time. I realize this may be a disappointment to you, and it seems your High Mother has made every attempt to make this disappointment as great as possible. But under our new rules, you have completed your Ripening and you are free to return to your previous endeavors. You’ll be notified immediately of any potential matches and marriage offers. I’m sure…” he glanced lecherously over her body, “you will have many.”
Quaia stared at him, trying to think of what to say. She slid off the table and walked over to pick up her robe, speechless. “Okay… then…?”
“Yes, yes. You are quite free to go,” the Commissar said, distracted. “But please vacate the ship within the hour.”
Not knowing what else to do, Quaia donned her robe and opened the hatch. She turned, thinking maybe she should say something to conclusively end this part of her life, but nothing occurred to her. “Okay, well…” she said. “Bye, then.”
She only had a moment to cringe, because Torian was in the corridor, approaching fast. Quaia met his eyes and winked when he looked at her with concern. She wanted to fling her arms around him and kiss him, but she knew better than to push her luck.
When he stopped in front of her, he looked a little nervous that she might do just such a thing. She bowed her head slightly, smiling. “Captain Torian,” she said. “I’ve been dismissed by the Commissar.”
Torian’s eyes twinkled when she met them. He nodded, saying nothing, but she knew from his eyes that he was pleased.
“I wish to continue our conversation,” he whispered solemnly. His eyes darted behind her, to where the guards were filtering out of the examination room.
“The Commissar has requested that I vacate the ship within the hour. And… I don’t want to push my luck. So I’ll be… on deck 3 of the station.” She smiled tentatively, looking at him. This was the real, final test: if he cared, he would surely promise to be there.
Torian nodded. “It’s a very large station…” he said.
“Just ask for me. Deck 3 is all pilots. I sort of stand out.”
Torian bowed deeply, and spoke loudly enough for the guards, and possibly even the Commissar, to hear. Then he stepped aside and swept his hand in the direction of Quaia’s travel. “It has been a great honor to take part in your Ripening, Quaia Sangsen. I wish you the best in all your endeavors.”
“Thank you. As I do for you,” Quaia managed to say, her heart already swelling with longing. Fear began to creep into her thoughts and poison her blood. She walked unsteadily down the corridor. Of course, she knew that Torian had to maintain this facade of stoicism, pretending that theirs was nothing more than a clinical relationship.
But no matter how much she told herself that, she wouldn’t believe any of it was true until she felt Torian on top of her again, inside of her. Only then would she really know for sure that what had happened between them was as real as she believed it to be.
She fought the urge to turn around, and she made it to the end of the corridor, but once there, she had to clutch her heart.
She hurried to her quarters to retrieve her things, and to put on the jumpsuit instead of this awful robe. Her heart was aching to see Torian, but she didn’t dare wait here.
You never knew what could happen in a few short hours in this system. For all she knew, the Imperator could die, and they could be living under a new regime within hours.
She packed quickly, and then took a route through the ship that would be longer, hoping to find Avalar and thank her for her kindness.
Avalar was nowhere to be found, but Quaia gave up easily. After all, she would likely see her again when all of this was over. Once the Commissar was gone, and Torian finished what he had been planning to tell her, Quaia had a feeling she’d be back on this ship again.
When she stepped out onto the platform, her heart plunged again. High Mother was standing amid a half-circle of security forces, a mean look in her eyes. Quaia approached cautiously, but with a smile on her lips.
She was about to ask what was going on, when High Mother tilted her chin upward and smiled herself.
The ground seemed to rush up at Quaia, though she maintained her steady pace. Even when High Mother snorted to the guards, “That’s everyone. Now serve them the order, to be effective immediately.”
