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Isn't Life Strange - Part 08: Difference between revisions

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<poem>
__NOTOC__
Isn't Life Strange - Part VII
{{HideTitle}}
 
<center>
 
<h1>Isn't Life Strange</h1>
"'Cause it's time, it's time in time
<h2>Part VIII</h2>
With your time, and its news is captured
<h3>by LadyNiko</h3>
For the Queen to use..."
</center>
I've Seen All Good People, Yes
<hr>
The hyperspace jump was a short one, and soon the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the asteroid field where the Queen of the Crown's Psychocrypt was. After docking, the guards dumped the unconscious Niko unceremoniously in a cell and locked the door behind them as they left.
The dungeonmaster informed the Queen of the Crown that the Galaxy Ranger was in a cell, awaiting her pleasure. The Queen smiled and said that she would be there shortly to visit with her guest and told him to have a wide selection of her interrogation drugs ready for her to use upon her arrival.
The dungeonmaster nodded and answered, "Yes, Your Majesty, everything will be ready for you when you arrive." The Queen nodded and cut the transmission.
A few minutes later, she arrived in the dungeon, flanked by two guards instead of her usual two Slaverlords. The dungeonmaster bowed to her before moving to open the cell door for the Queen and her guards. The guards entered first and began waking Niko up, using the butts of their blaster-rifles.
Niko awoke to a sharp pain in her ribs. Instinctively, she tried to roll away and get into a fighting crouch as the butt of a blaster rifle slammed into her back. She fell back to the floor with a grunt and tried again. She finally managed to grab a leg and pull it out from underneath her captor. She tried to get the blaster and some distance from her attacker. As soon as she made a move for the blaster, she was slammed forward by another sharp rifle butt. She stumbled and fell to the floor again. She lay there for a moment winded, her ribs on fire, and when she could breathe, she moved her head and saw a pair of black suede boots.
Her eyes widened in surprise. This wasn't one of the guards...
"Still a fighter, Little Niko? Good. I always admired that about you."
She slowly looked up and saw the Queen of the Crown peering down at her. Lord and Lady, Sorceress and Scholar... "What?" asked Niko, trying to recover her bearings. "Is the Psychocrypt broken?"
"Oh no, Niko.... I have something else planned for you..." the Queen purred.
"Something else?" Niko asked.
"Yes, child," the Queen answered. "I want you to serve me as my willing pupil."
"You'll ice skate in hell before that happens," Niko said, repeating something she'd heard Doc say once.
"I'm sure I can manage to change your mind," the Queen answered.
Niko shivered. The Queen's persuasion usually left broken bones and bruises. Absently, she rubbed her collarbone and forearm.
"But, that can wait until after you tell me what I wish to know..." the Queen answered.
"I won't tell you anything, Your Majesty, and you know it. You'll have to rip my mind out first," Niko said with more defiance than she felt.
"No... I want your mind intact, for now..." the Queen said. "I'll get the information from you another way, my dear."
Niko hated those two words when the Queen said them. She backed up a little bit, holding back on saying anything else that might aggravate the situation.
The Queen motioned to a third guard standing just outside the doorway. He came forward with a tray that had various hypodermic needles on it. She looked at the guard and said, "Use the interrogation drugs only. I want her intact otherwise, since I have plans for her."
She turned her attention back to Niko, "I am also an amateur scientist, Niko. My field of study is pain. Your captain, for instance, has always made an interesting subject in mental anguish studies. You... will make an interesting subject on many more levels. Physical torment, mental duress... yes, you will prove to be a fascinating test subject."
Niko shuddered. She only hoped that she could use her gifts to block out whatever they were going to do to her.
"And your psychic abilities open you to even more delightful realms of experimentation. You will suffer constantly, little Niko. Not just for days or even weeks but years, decades..." The Queen said.
How long would her psychic gifts protect her? Niko wondered.
The Queen nodded to the two other guards in the cell who each got a good grip on Niko's arms after a brief struggle. She traced Niko's arm with a light, icy finger. She stopped at a spot on the inside of Niko's elbow. "Inject the first one here."
The guard nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Niko tried to struggle but the hypodermic needle hit her vein precisely and discharged its contents. The stuff rushed to her head almost immediately, making her dizzy, and her head felt three feet thick. Her knees buckled and she would have fallen but for the guards holding her arms. Her head lolled on her shoulders, too heavy for her to hold up.
"My first question," the Queen asked. "Is this - Do you come from Earth?"
"Yes..." Niko slurred. She didn't want to answer but somehow the will was overridden. Then, a second later, "No..." she heard herself saying.
"Where are you from, if not from earth?" the Queen questioned. "What is your homeworld?"
Niko tried to resist and partially succeeded, "Circle... Can't... tell... you..."
"Another five gigils."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The robot guard next to the Queen injected another bit into Niko's arm.
"Now, where are you from, Little Niko?"
"Not on map, or by scanner..." Niko slurred out. "Nowhere."
The Queen's eyes narrowed as she digested this piece of information. Niko heard her grumble, "It would be like them to send a mere girl against me." Then, "Who sent you?"
"No one. Sent myself."
The Queen thought a moment, her eyes resting on the tray of hypodermics, then turned back to Niko. "I see... Will your precious league come following you?"
"Did this 'gainst orders. Zach... Doc... maybe..."
The Queen said, "Ah, Captain Zachary Foxx..." She laughed low in her throat, "and perhaps Ranger Hartford as well... delightful."
She pulled out something from her cloak. "The last questions I have to ask you," she purred, "Concern this."
Niko managed to hold her head up long enough to look at the object in the Queen's hand. Her vision was foggy but, she saw something red that glowed faintly in the Queen's hand. The object was put in her hands and Niko could sense the Queen's presence.
The Queen forced herself into Niko's mind, heightening her senses and her perceptions. Images, emotions, flooded into her. The distant sounds of and screams. Niko tried to retreat from the invading presence in her mind. No, anything but this....
"You know who he is, don't you?" the Queen said. "You came to rescue him."
Niko sobbed, "Yes." She had to answer the question; she had no choice.
"Tell me whose life-force I have taken," the Queen said, her voice as cold and smooth as a frozen pond.
"Shane, Shane Gooseman." Niko was crying openly now, as the images and emotions poured through the forced link with the crystal.
"I see," the Queen said. She went in for the killing blow. "And what are your... feelings for Ranger Gooseman?"
Niko was shaking. Grieving, terrified, drugged and fighting a losing battle. Every fiber of her tried to resist. "I...."
"Tell me, Niko, what are your feelings for him?" the Queen repeated.
Niko couldn't control her quaking. "I... I... No!"
The Queen was pleased with this last bit of resistance from her. She dug her fingernails into Niko's chin and said, "Tell me, Niko."
With tears running down her face, Niko admitted, "I love him...."
Still keeping her chin in a deathgrip, the Queen turned to whisper in Niko's ear. "That's all I wanted to know."
Niko's whole body went limp and the two guards holding her up let her fallto the floor in a heap. The Queen had gotten the information she wanted.
The Queen ordered the guards to leave and she knelt next to Niko, now helpless on the floor. "There," she said. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Gently, she brushed the hair from Niko's face before rising.
Niko flinched and would have moved away if she'd had the strength. She whispered in one last act of defiance, "You won't always be able to force your way in my mind like that, Your Majesty."
"I won't have to, Lady Niko," the Queen answered, looking down on her. "Soon, you'll let me in ofyour own free will."
With a swish of her red cape, the Queen casually picked up Shane's crystal, then left the cell.
Niko lay where she had collapsed, tears streaming down her face, her arms wrapped protectively around her tender ribs. "Oh, Shane.... what have I done?"
* * * *
A short time later, Doc came back to the bridge.
"We're traveling at about three-quarters our usual speed in hyperspace, but the horses are secure." Doc reported.
"Good," Zach answered looking straight ahead. "Strap in."
Doc nodded and strapped into the co-pilot's seat.
"GeeVee, can you give me a status on that crown shuttle?" Zach asked sometime later as they approached the asteroid belt. Ranger-One cautiously negotiated the asteroid field, more out of fear of being spotted than fear of the asteroids themselves.
"Heavy Shielding. Type Eight Imperial Blaster Cannons, crew reads thirty live guards."
"Live guards? I didn't think that the Queen had any live guards," Doc questioned.
"I read thirty live guards, Ranger Hartford." GeeVee answered.
"There's a lot about the Queen we don't know, Doc. We can only guess that her troops are androids."
"Right, Captain." Doc said.
"GeeVee, what else can you tell me about that ship? Is there anyway we can sneak on-board that shuttle without being caught?"
"Shuttle is moving away from asteroid base. It would appear that they have already off-loaded."
"Blast!" Zach said, bringing his fist down on the arm of his chair.
Doc didn't say a word, just shook his head and looked over the base readouts.
"Uh-oh, Captain Foxx, I am reading several crown ships moving in on our position. It appears that we have been spotted," GeeVee reported, his voice quaking.
Zachary and Doc sprung into action, Doc activating the shields and fire controls, Zach grabbing the piloting stick.
"I see them, Captain!" Doc said from his position at the firing controls "They're closing in fast!"
The crown ships slid into position around the Ranger ship.
"Hold on, Doc," Zach said before starting to jerk the ship around for evasive maneuvers. "Going for pattern Sierra."
"Right, Captain," Doc answered.
The crown ships opened fire as Zach maneuvered the ship. Ranger-One whipped around an asteroid and came back, only to get broadsided with a volley of shots from the Crown fighters launched from the base. The jolt hit the ship hard, rocking it out of control for a moment. If Zachary and Doc hadn't been strapped in, they would have been tossed like rag dolls.
"Doc, how are our shields?" Zach asked, struggling to bring the ship about.
"We've lost port shields totally!" yelled Doc, "Another hit over there and we're risking a hull breech." He tried to compensate and shift power from another secondary system to that area but was met with a scorching burn when he tried to touch his control panel. He yowled and jerked his hand away. "Controls are ionized!"
"Can your tweaker programs do anything?" Zach questioned.
Doc shook his head and pulled out the CDU. "I'm giving it a go!" He touched his badge, activating his implant, giving him a direct link to his -tweaker programs. The holographic diamond flashed before him, "All tweakers - this is an emergency! Give me everything you've got to keep those shields up!"
"Right on, Doc!" one of the tweakers answered.
"Let's go!" another one called.
"Pathfinder, see what you can do about de-ionizing these controls," Doc specifically asked one of the tweakers. The tiny, glowing hacker-programs flew into the console and Doc was able to regain partial control.
"Captain, I've got some control but I don't know how long it will last!" Doc called.
"Can you shift power from somewhere to give the shields more power, Doc?" Zach asked, using all his piloting skills to avoid the Crown fighters. The Crown ships came in for another sweep. Doc was able to fire the cannons and blast a couple of them. They spun out of control and crashed into the asteroids.
"I'm already doing everything I can to keep us breathing, Zach," he said. "All non-essential functions are down."
"The asteroid has just launched more fighters, Captain Foxx, sir." GeeVee replied, his blue-green holographic eyeball quivering in fear.
Zach, trying to gain some sort of control, called over to Doc, "I'm going to move deeper into the asteroid belt to see if I can lose them. That seems like our only chance!"
Doc complained half-heartedly, "I knew I never should have signed that Ranger application!"
"Too late for that... heading right for the asteroid field!"
Time seemed to freeze for Zach as he looked at the fortress... No... Goose and Niko were as good as dead unless he got them out... or maybe it was too late already...He hoped it wasn't...
Looking up at Zach's face, Doc said, "Captain we are of no use to them dead! We have to get out of here!" he called, hoping to get through to Zach.
* * * *
In the palace, the Queen sat on her throne and watched calmly as the Ranger ship dived further into the asteroid belt. It would make this much more interesting... She summoned her guards to bring Niko to her. Now I will break her, she thought as she watched the shuttle slowly make its way through the asteroids.
Within moments, the guards returned with Niko between them. The Queen looked her over and purred with delight as the woman shivered.
"The Psychocrypt," Niko said dully.
"No, dear. Not yet." The Queen gestured to the monitor. "It's your Captain Foxx making a foolhardy attempt to rescue you."
Niko turned and looked at the monitor then took an involuntary step back when she recognized the ship on the screen. It was Ranger-One! Niko took in a deep breath. "No.... oh no..." she whispered under her breath.
"Oh yes, indeed, Niko... You know that both he and Ranger Hartford would be willing to make any attempt to rescue you and Ranger Gooseman from my clutches... even brave death... I'm afraid they will not be successful."
"I thought you wanted them as more trophies for the Psychocrypt?"
The Queen stood up, her ruby eyes locked on Niko's. "Their fate, my little Niko, is entirely up to you."
"What do you mean?" she asked, as she watched the pitiful remnant of Ranger-One move across the screen.
"I can call off the attack," she said, moving to whisper the words in Niko's ear, "With one push of a button, I can send the fighters away."
Niko jumped at the Queen's nearness and said, "Why should I believe you?"
"Do you have any choice?" The Queen answered. "Because, my dear. You are valuable."
"What do you mean?"
"Agree to my terms and I'll let them go. Refuse me and they die."
"What are your terms?" Niko asked.
"Surrender and pledge your willing servitude to me."
"Why me? You know I will never serve you willingly," she questioned, shocked.
"Oh, you will, if you want them to live..." The shock turned to a look of understanding as she turned back to the screen. "Make your choice, Niko," the Queen pressed.
 
* * * *
"We still don't have enough power!" shouted Doc as he tried again to fire the useless blasters. The fighters were coming closer, closer... almost within range. One more hit and they were done for.
"Why aren't we finished?? They could have gotten rid of us long ago," Zach asked looking at the in-coming ships. "What are they waiting for?"
* * * *
 
In the asteroid, Niko stood motionless staring at the monitor in disbelief.
"It's time to make your choice, Niko: join me and your friends will live, or refuse me and send them to their graves. You won't be able to save him," the Queen said. "But you have a chance to save them. They don't have the strength to save themselves. If you refuse, I promise that you will die with them."
Niko shivered... The Queen was right... what choice did she have? She asked, "If I accept... you will let them go?"
"Yes, I will let them go," the Queen answered, then added under her breath, "For now."
"All right then, I surrender," Niko said, looking at the Queen. She swallowed, fighting to keep her fear at bay.
The Queen walked to a panel, pressed a button and Ranger-One was left alone in space as the Crown fighters returned to the asteroid base.
She said, "Wise choice, Niko."
Niko was shaking, watching the small ship limp away. She hoped, but didn't believe that Ranger-One would hold together long enough to make it back to the League. Gods... what had she done? Giving BETA a fighting chance, she reminded herself.
The Queen smiled. Oh, did she have plans for Niko. Then her voice intruded on Niko's thoughts, "No, my dear, BETA has no chance against my armada."
Niko's voice was shaky, "Can I be alone, Majesty?"
"You may have a moment, my dear."
Niko shuddered. She walked away, into a lavatory and lost the contents of her stomach into a basin. She knelt there for a time, trying to muster her defenses. She was going to need them if she was going to get through this encounter with the Queen. Niko walked out, trying to stand tall. She would not let the Queen see her frightened. She may have agreed to serve the Queen but that didn't mean she was going to allow her to make her a slave.
Would she be able not to cross that line? Did she have the strength? Time would tell. And maybe, if she was lucky, she could find a shard of glass or a bit of poison that could release her from her oath if she couldn't find any other way out. No, she wouldn't consider that option yet. She couldn't. She had to hold out for a chance to rescue Goose and Daisy. She just hoped it would be soon... If rescuing them would do any good...there was virtually nothing stopping the Queen from invading that frontier world. She told herself, You are a Galaxy Ranger. You can and will find a way out of this mess.
You are no Ranger. You are a traitor. You willingly agreed to serve the enemy... to study her ways and become her loyal servant. Accept that you gave your word.
"Get out of my mind!" Niko growled, knowing that it was the Queen. Or was it? She looked skyward. I'm sorry, Ariel, she thought. I've betrayed you and I've betrayed my people.
The Queen smiled as she heard Niko's thoughts. Niko was giving her all the ammunition she needed to crack through her shields.
Niko walked out of the lavatory and into the hallway. She didn't get far before seeing a Slaverlord. She stopped short as she saw the face in the crystal. Oh gods.... it was Goose! The Queen had made him a Slaverlord. Was a rescue already too late, she wondered.
"Shane!" she gasped involuntarily. You bitch, Niko thought, feeling a surge of rage override her self-disgust and fear. She knew she needed to create a retreat within her mind. Somewhere she could sort things out.
The Queen straightened with a start at the surge of emotion from Niko. Such emotion. Ah, yes. Unexpected...but useful Much more interesting than those pitiful Gherkins. And at this rate, tormenting little Niko would be even more of a pleasure than anything she had done to that captain... She sent a signal to her Slaverlord to bring Niko to her. The lessons should begin immediately, she decided. While her new student was still off-balance. What to teach her first? Then, she decided, what to do. The perfect lesson would be to make her witness the transformation of that Daisy O'Mega creature.... She told her guards what she wanted, and they bowed in acknowledgment of her orders before going off to carry them out.
The Slaverlord approached with Niko at its side.
"My dear Niko, feeling better?" the Queen asked.
Niko said nothing. She rested a hand against her waist, covering her badge. She wanted to save her implant charge until she needed it. She wasn't sure she could keep the Queen out of her mind, even with her implant at full charge if the Queen forced the issue, but she had to try.
The Queen seemed to ignore Niko as she watched the technicians prepare the Psychochamber. Niko stood uneasily at the foot of he throne. She noticed the activity surrounding the Psychochamber and wondered what the Queen had planned. Certainly it wasn't to put her in the Psychochamber, was it? Why did the Queen say that she wanted her as a student, if she was only going to put her in the Psychochamber? She hardly dared to look at the Slaverlord next to her. She wanted so much to grab from the Slaverlord the Psychocrystal that contained Shane's life-force, but the time wasn't right. She silently prayed for the strength to hold out until Doc and Zach could arrive with back-up.
The Queen was feeling pleased with herself. Her new student didn't know that she was broadcasting her thoughts. It was a lingering side-effect of the truth-serum she had used on Niko-- it boosted the subject's latent telepathy. Without even having to expend conscious energy, the Queen was able to listen in on her pupil's thoughts. Once she had been properly trained, her new student would make an excellent servant.
Then, the guards returned half-carrying, half-dragging, a semi-conscious Daisy O'Mega. Her face was still bruised along the jaw-line on one side, and she appeared to be drugged.
Niko couldn't quite surpress the gasp of surprise that escaped when she recognized her, "Daisy O'Mega?!"
Hearing her name said, Daisy shook off the last of the cobwebs in her head. She straightened up and was just as surprised to see Niko, "Galaxy Ranger Niko-- Didn't think I'd see you here..."
Niko didn't know what to say. There was a flood of questions she wanted to ask and not all of them had to do with the Queen's plans. She started to move forward, but the Slaverlord at her side put a restraining hand on her shoulder, preventing her from moving any closer. She threw a despairing look over her shoulder at the Slaverlord bearing Shane's Psychocrystal.
The Queen motioned to Daisy's guards, "Place her in the Psychochamber."
As the guards pushed Daisy past Niko, she could see Niko's expression and then the reason for it as she saw the face in the Slaverlord's crystal. It was Shane's. Daisy shook her head in denial and cursed under her breath at the Queen.
The Queen spoke, "Come, Niko, it's time for your first lesson."
Niko moved slowly with dread. She knew what was coming now, the Queen was going to make her witness Daisy's transformation into a Slaverlord.
"Remember Niko, you did agree to serve me and become my student."
Daisy looked up and could hear as the guards put her in the Psychochamber, Niko answer, "Yes, Your Majesty." But, Niko had her back to Daisy at this point, and Daisy couldn't see the rebellious expression on her face. She was too dazed to put up much of a fight when the guards shoved her into the glass chamber and attached electrodes to her chest and temples. The double shock of seeing a Slaverlord with Shane's Psychocrystal and Niko's apparent willing servitude to the Queen of the Crown depleted what little fight she had left in her and she leaned dispiritedly against the glass of the Psychochamber.
After the guards had finished with Daisy, the Queen shifted her attention back to Niko, who still had her back turned to the Psychochamber. "Turn around my dear. Watch and learn what happens to those who cross me."
"No," Niko said.
"What was that you said, child?" the Queen asked.
"I said, no," Niko answered.
"Watch and learn, Niko," the Queen repeated.
"No, Your Majesty," Niko said, placing a hand over her badge, ready to activate her implant, which would boost her psi-powers and hopefully give her the strength to keep the Queen out of her mind.
"You will watch and learn, Niko," the Queen said ominously.
Then, before Niko even had a chance to breathe, to activate her implant, the Queen sent a lance of sheer fire into her mind. With a cry of pain, Niko fell to her knees, both hands on either side of her head.
The Queen sent the spike deeper into Niko's mind and said, "Watch, Niko and learn."
Niko was bent forward in pain. She couldn't think, much less move to activate her implant, which might have given her the strength needed to resist the Queen's attack on her mind.
The Queen was more than pleased with all the delicious information she was gleaning out of Niko's mind, via the pain spike. All sorts of interesting emotions were tied to that human Daisy O'Mega... She decided that that would be the tool to use in this lesson. She lessened the intensity of the pain spike and instead began to pry away on the emotional knot in Niko's mind. She picked out the thread of jealousy from the knot and said, via telepathy, "Come now, Niko my dear and watch the elimination of the rival for your fellow Ranger's attentions."
"No," Niko answered, but this time the denial was less heated.
The Queen leaned back in her throne, she could feel the wall of Niko's resistance starting to tremble. She was making progress here. Simultaneously, she drove the pain spike deep into Niko's mind again, at the same time, pulling heavily on the thread of jealousy. "Turn around, Niko and watch," she said.
"No, I can't," Niko sobbed, hands clutched to either side of her head. The pain was so intense.
The Queen could feel the cracks that were beginning to form and widen in Niko's resistance. She said, "Niko, here; here is the rival for your beloved's attentions."
Niko no longer felt the pain of the mental spike as much as she was beginning to feel something much darker and much more sinister-- an extreme jealousy of Daisy. She didn't recognize the voice that answered the Queen, "Yes."
The Queen again pulled on the thread of jealousy, "Turn around and watch, child."
"N- no," Niko stammered. It was getting harder to resist. She suddenly felt a blinding, raging jealousy towards Daisy. She fought to push that dark and dangerous feeling back. She didn't feel that way towards Daisy... or did she? She couldn't tell anymore what was real.
The Queen pulled even harder on the thread of jealousy in Niko's mind. Her resistance was crumbling. "Niko, child." She placed a hand under Niko's chin and tilted her head up so she was forced to look her in the eye. "Turn around and watch."
"N- no... Y-yessss..." Niko was torn. She was lost in a maelstrom of emotions. She felt hands under her arms, lifting her up.
The Queen's smile sent shivers down Niko's spine. Whether of anticipation or apprehension, she couldn't tell anymore.
"Turn around Niko, and watch."
"Yes..." Niko answered slowly. She thought she had said no? She felt a heady sense of anticipation that just didn't feel right. The hands on her arms kept her upright and helped her turn around so she was facing the Psychochamber.
In the Psychochamber, Daisy O'Mega wondered what the Queen was waiting for. Why hadn't she told her guards to throw the switch to go ahead and drain her life-force into a Psychocrystal, she puzzled. Then, Daisy noticed the scene taking place between Niko and the Queen with a distant, puzzled expression on her face. She acts like the Queen's torturing her, though there's not so much as a hand lain on her...What was happening up there? She couldn't hear much of the conversation except the words jealousy and rival. She wasn't expecting help from Niko but still...Why would a Ranger be jealous? Why would the lady Ranger be so jealous as to serve that vicious Queen, albeit not entirely of her free will?
This may be part of the process, to prolong the waiting, to stretch out the subject's torment and anguish to make a stronger Slaverlord for all she knew. Her eyes settled on the Slaverlord holding Niko back. Daisy's stomach did a flip-flop. Now, she was frightened. Her heart pounded and she struggled to get to her feet, so that she could pull off the electrodes. Then, she looked up again and saw that Niko was once again back on her feet and this time facing her. Daisy's breath caught in her throat as she saw Niko's twisted expression. Niko's face seemed frozen between jealous rage and desperate pity.
The Queen waved to her guards to begin the transformation.
Daisy's eyes caught on the Slaverlord and realized...Jealous. If she was sweet on Shane, that might explain... But the red light and the awful ripping pain cut off any further coherent thought. A deep, wrenching scream was torn from her throat as her life-force was forcibly drained from her.
On the dais, the Queen's expression of extreme pleasure was eerily echoed on Niko's face. But, the difference was that Niko had tears running freely down her cheeks. Unknown to Daisy, Niko had her own battle. Instead of being jailed by a red crystal, her mind was jailed by the iron of her thoughts and emotions, twisted and fashioned into bars by her captor...her master. This prison was just as painful.
Then, Daisy collapsed in a heap, as her life-force was pulled into a Psychocrystal.
The red Psychocrystal floated away from the chamber and white robes folded around it, creating another Slaverlord, the Daisy-Slaverlord then floated up to the dais next to Niko.
On the dais, Niko would have fallen back to her knees, had it not been for the Goose-Slaverlord holding her up. Lesson one was over, would lesson two be any easier?
"You do realize, my little Niko," the Queen said. "That your love and your rival are now joined forever. Your friends will not come to help you...the only thing you have left, the only one you can trust now, is me."
She got up from the throne and brushed away some of Niko's tears, "But you can trust me and you will trust me."
Niko shuddered. She didn't know if she could survive another one of the Queen's lessons.
* * * *
Outside the Psychocrypt in the asteroid belt Ranger-One was limping back out of the asteroid field, heading for League space.
"Hyperdrive damaged... weapons out... power on backups...Shit!" Doc banged on a console, reading the damage report sent up by GeeVee, who didn't even have enough power to manifest the green eyeball interface.
"Can we even make it back to League space?" Zach asked, worriedly.
"I can manage to put this thing together with chewing gum and barbed wire. We can limp back to the League. Anything past that would be a joke."
"Well, do what you can, Doc. We can't stay here, and we can't leave Niko in the Queen's hands."
"I know," he said. "But we are dead meat on a stick if we even try to go back there without some extensive repairs. I don't know about you, Zachary but I don't want to use up my health insurance quite yet."
He took a look at Zach's face and sighed, "I'll get right on it."
Zach let out a deep sigh of resignation before getting up to go help Doc. While not a religious man, he offered a small prayer up for luck. They'd need all the luck available and while he prayed for luck, he also said a prayer, with all his heart, for the three humans trapped in that graveyard.
Doc was working on a patch of whatever was left of the hyperdrive, stringing wires and circuitry together and periodically cursing and breaking out a fire extinguisher to stop the small fires cropping up.
Zach stood by and handed him tools when he called out for them. There wasn't enough room for two people to work in the engine space and he didn't have enough technical skill to be working on them. Doc had his tweakers working with him, helping to patch the circuits and reroute. Zach noticed that it was taking a strain on him.
"Join the Galaxy Rangers and see the Galaxy," muttered Doc under his breath.
Zach could only nod in wry agreement.
It was some time later that Doc emerged from the engines, his once-pristine uniform now covered in soot, grime and grease.
His expression was doubtful and Zach asked, "How are the engines? Can we make the jump to lightspeed?"
"That's the best I can do," he said tiredly. "I'm pulling a lot of power from my implant. All five tweakers at once takes a lot. But, we can activate the hyperdrive long enough to get to the border - provided we don't need life support afterwards. And no fancy flying, otherwise we'll lose what repairs I did."
Zach winced, "That bad?"
"'Fraid so and don't let me fall asleep... I need to be conscious for the tweakers to work. Pathfinder and Tripwire are the only thing keeping us breathing."
Zach nodded, "Right." That meant no sleep for him as well.
"Come on, let's get going. I can't hold out for forever." Doc said as he collapsed hard in the co-pilot's seat with a groan. "I've got the nav computers set for the shortest run to the League border."
"Right. Let's go then." Zach said, sitting down in the pilot's seat and punching buttons to make the jump.
They started off to League space, wondering how or if they were going to be able to get back.
 
</poem>


<blockquote><em>"Poets, priests and politicians<br />Have words to thank for their positions<br />Words that scream for your submission<br />And no one's jamming their transmission<br />'Cos when their eloquence escapes you<br />Their logic ties you up and rapes you...</em><br /><small>De do do do De da da da, The Police</small></blockquote>
<p>It was a beautiful cage but a cage nonetheless. The Queen's guards escorted Niko to a lavish bedroom. Alien artwork decorated the walls and surrounded a large fireplace where a real fire burned away. The guards took their post solemnly by the door.<br />The Queen gestured around the room. "Your chambers, my dear. How do you like them?" She was also accompanied by Goose's Slaverlord. She seemed to gain evil delight in making sure that that Slaverlord was near her at all times.<br />Niko wearily replied, "A prison is still a prison, Your Majesty. However well it is disguised."<br />The Queen glowered at her. "Don't be ungrateful, Niko. I decorated this room for you. I know about your homeworld. The artwork is native to Xanadu itself..."<br />Niko shuddered. The Queen was right. She didn't want to notice that detail but how could the Queen have known? What did she know of Xanadu?<br />"Consider this to be your sanctuary, Niko. Your new home. I will, of course, provide for you within reason."<br />Niko looked forlornly at Shane's Slaverlord. Oh, if only she could have those days on Granna back. If she could have said good-bye again.<br />"Don't be tiresome, my dear and attempt to rescue any of the Slaverlords. You won't do them or yourself any favors."<br />Niko tried not to let her surprise show. How did the Queen know what she was thinking?<br />The Queen said, "Nothing you think is secret from me, my dear. Now, I want to hear you promise that you won't try to rescue them. I want your word." The Queen's hand took her chin in what appeared to be a gentle manner but the ice-cold, razor-sharp nails dug into Niko's chin.<br />Niko tried to look away but couldn't escape the Queen's powerful gaze. Her ruby eyes paralyzed Niko. She couldn't escape the grip... She was aware now that she was shaking.<br />"Promise me," the Queen said almost sweetly. "Promise me like you promised your loyalty."<br />Niko tried to resist the probe she felt reaching into her mind. She tried to look at the Slaverlord just inches away but her eyes wouldn't move from the Queen's gaze. She was prey and the Queen was enjoying being the predator. She flailed about in her mind, trying to struggle, but her attempts at resistance only met with more of the Queen's calm determination.<br />The Queen gripped Niko's chin and said, "Don't struggle. You'll only hurt yourself."<br />Niko managed to put a hand on her badge to activate her implant.<br />The Queen reached out and snatched the badge away out of her trembling grip. She didn't want Niko activating her implant and undoing all the progress she had made with her so far. "None of this, my dear. Not right now. It will only remind you of them... Now, promise me like you promised your loyalty."<br />Niko was battered by strange emotions, feelings and images that were flooding into her mind. She saw the ruined heap that had once been Mel; Brutus and Voyager carrying their riders further and further from her... She saw Ranger-One leaving the Crown base, leaving her behind as she watched on the viewer. Niko gasped and tried to retreat long enough from the Queen's presence to shield her mind, to block out all the images and emotions she was being flooded with.<br />But, the Queen allowed her no quarter, and Niko tried to resist. "They left you behind, child. They don't care about you. Not as much as I do...Trust me, Niko. Think about them. They ran away from you when you needed them the most."<br />"No! You're lying! They'll be back for me," Niko protested.<br />More inky thoughts were twining around her memories, distorting their meaning, taking them out of context... painting an ugly picture.<br />"Yes, Niko, they deserted you... You were misguided. I know how well Captain Foxx can manipulate others. He manipulated you, poor dear, but I'm here. I'm sorry you had to learn about his cowardly nature the hard way. They don't care for you. Not as much as I do...Trust me, Niko. I want you to trust me..."<br />Niko's legs were giving out from under her. She tried to look away, but the lock the Queen had on her was too strong. Her voice was only the faintest of sounds as she said, "Zach isn't a coward. Neither is Doc and neither is..." her voice choked.<br />"They abandoned him, too, dear," she said. "Remember? They abandoned you both. Trust me, Niko, I will never desert you."<br />"I trus..." realizing that this was her own voice speaking, Niko pushed her mind again to the surface in an attempt to clear her thoughts. Had she almost given in?!<br />"Now, tell me you trust me. Just three simple words. Just say it. Say you trust me. You almost said it...it's not so hard to say, my dear. Just say it and you can rest."<br />"No..." it was barely a whisper.<br />The Queen's fingers dug painfully into Niko's jaw.<br />"I...." Niko gasped and fought to clear her mind. She couldn't give in. "I..." her voice choked on the words, as another round of twisted imagery flooded her. "trus..."<br />"Niko, you would save yourself so much trouble if you would just give in and say those three little words." the Queen said. "You can be tiresome, Niko, or you can cooperate." She continued as she flooded Niko's mind with more twisted and perverted memories.<br />Niko was overwhelmed. She couldn't tell if they were real or false anymore. She was so tired....<br />They had run away...they had left her here...but they didn't have a choice, or did they?<br />"Say it!!" The Queen called out again placing the full force of her will upon the mind of the young woman before her. "Say those three little words, Niko, and I will let you rest."<br />In that moment, that split-second instant of doubt, the Queen seized her chance. "Yes, see what I want you to see..."<br />Niko was lost.... She swallowed. She was now shaking, breaking out into a cold sweat. She could see nothing but those eyes, hear nothing but that voice.<br />"I...trust...you..." she choked out. "I trust you, Mistress..."<br />The icy fingernails suddenly released their grip and Niko fell to the floor, panting.<br />"Say it again, one last time, child," the Queen smiled triumphantly.<br />Niko looked up. "I trust you, Mistress," she said in a mechanical voice.<br />"Very good, my dear, very good. Now, wasn't there something else you wanted to tell me? Something you wanted to promise me?"<br />Niko struggled to form the words, "I... promise..."<br />"What do you promise me?" The Queen asked.<br />"I... promise... you, Mistress... n-not... to... free... any... of the... Slaverlords." The words came from her against her will, but she couldn't stop them.<br />The Queen knelt down and gently brushed a damp strand of red hair out of Niko's eyes. "That wasn't so bad, was it, Niko?"<br />Niko didn't say a word. She just didn't have the strength anymore. Tears still ran freely from her eyes and she shuddered at the icy touch of the Queen's hands upon her cheeks.<br />"Your next set of lessons will start in the morning. Now, it's time for you to rest."<br />"Yes, Mistress," Niko said in the same tone as before.<br />The Queen gestured to the Slaverlord, and they walked out the door, letting it slide shut behind them.<br />Niko knelt on the floor where she was dazed. Eventually, she got up off the floor and climbed into the bed, exhausted. She pulled the blankets over her trembling body, unable to stop the tears running out of her eyes as she pulled the sheets over herself and curled up into a tight ball, shuddering and feeling wretched.</p>
<center>
<p>* * * *</p>
</center>
<p>As Ranger-One limped back to League Space, Doc noticed that Zach's hands were clenched around the piloting stick and that his face had gone completely ashen, almost as if a statue was flying the ship.<br />What was left of the sensors indicated a League space station ahead. Zach seemed to be paying no attention as he continued to move little or even notice anything.<br />"Captain, There's a league space station ahead. We should port there," Doc said quietly.<br />Zach didn't respond for a minute. But it seemed to shake him a bit from his catatonia. "Right, Doc," he answered finally. He brought the battered hulk around and tried to steer close to the space station, controls still in a deathgrip.<br />Doc got on the radio and said, "League Space Station, this is Ranger-One requesting permission to dock."<br />"Ranger-One?" said the technician at the controls. "Yeah, Commander Walsh is looking for you."<br />"Uh-oh," Doc said under his breath.<br />Doc and Zach glanced once at each other... they knew what was coming.<br />"Just clear us for landing, tower," Doc said, exasperation giving an edge to his voice.<br />Zachary struggled with the controls but was able to bring the ship around somewhat smoothly.<br />"We failed, Doc... Now, Niko's going to pay for it."<br />Doc sighed. "We'll get her back, Zach."<br />"Before or after we have to battle her Slaverlord?"<br />"I honestly don't know, Captain. But, we will get Niko and Goose out of the Queen's clutches." Doc tried to sound positive.<br />Then, the two Rangers said nothing more as the station's tractor beam locked on to the battered ship and brought it in to the docking bay. Zach and Doc shut down the engines and secured the ship. They slowly walked out of the ship, not knowing quite what to expect. They were met by a security detail headed up by the security chief.<br />"Captain Foxx, Ranger Hartford? Come with me, please."<br />The two Rangers were escorted out of the docking bay and straight to the brig.<br />Doc collapsed on a bunk, his energy drained from keeping all of his tweakers going at the same time. He tried to think of something witty to say but only grumbled, "To hell with it," and passed out on the bunk.<br />In what seemed a short time, the security chief reappeared, waking them.<br />"Captain Foxx? Ranger Hartford? Commander Walsh's shuttle has just arrived."<br />Doc struggled awake and quipped, "Oh good, I just hate prolonging these things."<br />Zach was still fairly pale, Doc noticed. He wondered if his captain had gotten any sleep since they arrived.<br />The security chief gave Doc a quieting look but said nothing.<br />"How long was I out?" he asked Zachary.<br />"Thirteen hours," was the curt reply.<br />Doc shook his head, he still felt that it wasn't enough, but it would have to do for now.<br />The security chief led them to an office and ushered them inside. Commander Walsh stood in front of the desk frowning.<br />They walked into an office where the station commander, a gray-haired iron bar of a woman, stood next to Commander Walsh himself. Doc was about to make a short quip about rudeness on the security chief's part but one look at Walsh's face and it died on his lips.<br />"Uh-oh," Doc muttered under his breath.<br />Zach straightened up and saluted Commander Walsh and the station commander. He spoke up first, his gravelly voice quiet, yet clear. "Sir, I take full responsibility for this. Hartford was following my orders and plans for this..."<br />"But, Captain!" Doc protested. "What I did at BETA was hardly following orders!!"<br />Commander Walsh cut the two Rangers off. "I am sure that Ranger Niko also willingly went along with this crazy idea of yours, Captain Foxx. Just what in the Sam Hill did you hope to accomplish?"<br />"Rescuing Goose and Miss O'Mega, Commander," Zach answered. "And, preventing the Queen from making more human Slaverlords - any more human Slaverlords... Sir, the Psychocrypt is not a fate I'd wish on anyone." He had spent a short period of time in it, and knew what it did to a person. His wife, Eliza, was still a prisoner of the Queen... her body was in stasis at the Longshot Research Facility, while the Queen held on tightly to the first Psychocrystal she had made from a human.<br />"And, where is Ranger Niko, Captain Foxx?" the station commander asked.<br />"Captured, sir." Zachary was obviously ashamed. "I'd walk into the Psychocrypt myself if it would bring them back," whispered Zachary. The look on his face was agony to the eyes but Doc knew that anything he read on the captain's face was just the tip of the iceberg.<br />Walsh drew in a deep breath. He had been afraid of that.... Now the Queen had two of his best Rangers. He paced the room back and forth struggling with himself. "I ought to throw you in the brig and leave you two to rot after your stunt," he blustered.<br />"Do what you have to, Commander," Zachary said, resigned.<br />"You disobeyed orders, put BETA through all sorts of hell and lost another Ranger.. for that you should be arrested!" Walsh said.<br />Doc exchanged looks with Zachary "But...?" he questioned.<br />"But..." he said, glaring at Doc "We have an emergency on our hands, so instead you are both being placed on probation. I will decide later what disciplinary measures to take if we make it through the coming battle with the Queen's armada."<br />"What?!" Doc said both relieved and surprised.<br />Zachary seemed not to notice.<br />"The Crown fleet has been massing near the Third Quadrant border and I need you there. But don't think you are getting off on this one," Walsh said, still looking at Doc. "As soon as this is over there will be a hearing. Understand??"<br />Both Rangers nodded. "Yes, sir."<br />Doc asked, "Do we know which planet is her target, Commander?"<br />"We don't know for certain but we believe that Granna is her intended target because it has a high human population and is relatively undefended."<br />Zachary nodded. "What are our orders, sir?"<br />"For now, I'm assigning you two to the Laredo. I need the two of you to be watching the Crown fleet closely," Walsh stressed, "without being detected. You'll be part of the Laredo's Interceptor crew. They'll be making runs near the border and you two are going to be in charge of the scouts."<br />He paused and said, "And if you two pull any more stunts like what you did at BETA Mountain, then you will be spending a long, long time in the brig."<br />"Why what happened at BETA?" Doc said trying to lighten the tenseness in the room. It didn't work.<br />"Do I make myself clear, Ranger Hartford?" Commander Walsh asked.<br />Both acknowledged the statement. Walsh looked them over. Somehow, he got the feeling that any punishment he gave them was nothing compared to he hell they were already putting themselves through. "Do you feel you=92re up to this?" he asked his voice and face softening a little.<br />Doc took a moment to answer, "Yes, sir, I'm up to this."<br />"Commander, any chance I have to fight the Crown I'm up to," Zach said, staring Walsh in the eye.<br />"The Laredo will be here tomorrow," Walsh said. "In the meantime, you'll be taken to quarters and confined there until it arrives. Dismissed."</p>
<center>
<p>* * * *</p>
</center>
<p>Niko stood in the large room. The Queen stood by her side. There were no cameras here. No guards. She had no idea where she was, nor did she know what she was doing there... The place was richly decorated. The Queen didn't even look the same.<br />She wasn't wearing her formal robes of office, opting for a heavy purple robe. The headdress was gone, revealing close-cropped dark hair, diving over to silver.<br />"This," said the Queen. "Is my private study. Feel free to look at the books."<br />Niko knew she should be taking note of this but her head was so foggy... She walked into the room slowly. The place was dimly lit and not by electrical means, except for an eerie blood red glow coming from the center of one of the tall Romanesque column in the center of the room. Something about the column called to her and she slowly walked to the center of the room to look at the forcefield but the Queen guided her away.<br />"There is nothing in there for you. Now, it is time for you to read..."<br />"Yes, Mistress." Niko was led away from the column and sat at a large ebony desk. She kept looking backwards at the column. The Queen grumbled a curse and touched Niko's temple. The curiosity about the column vanished and Niko turned her attention to the books on the desk. Real leather and vellum. She was surprised by that.<br />"Like them?" the Queen asked. "They're my greatest treasure. A millennia of observations and lore. I thought a scholar like yourself would be interested."<br />The writing was a strange, spidery script that seemed to flow right off the page and was hard to focus on. But, somehow, she could read the script and what it said....<br /><em>"The power and life force of the weak is what the strong have always used to survive. Just as a predator eats prey to survive, so must strong beings feed on the weaker beings to ensure their survival."</em><br />"You are powerful, Niko." She could hear the Queen's whisper at her neck. "That is why I watched you. That is why I waited for this..."<br />Niko whipped around, but she couldn't see the Queen.<br />She knew she should be disgusted by this writing, by what it was saying, by what the Queen was saying to her. But, somehow, she wasn't. She was almost excited by it...The books caught her attention. They seemed to pull her into the page. She read page after page allowing the words to spill over into her mind.<br /><em>"The weaker beings serve only one purpose - to nourish the strong,"</em>&nbsp;the book continued. It gave examples of wars, what atrocities the victors did to the vanquished.<br />The words burned into her mind. The book told tales of a dozen conquered worlds... Power was blood. Power was conquest and preying.<br />So she turned another page...<br /><em>"The Prey, as much as they claim to resist, actually are on many levels willing to submit themselves to a power higher than themselves. All war and resistance is a sacrifice by the weak to the strong."</em><br />The Queen stood back and watched Niko absorb the text in the books.<br /><em>"Prey claim to be interested in peace and justice... the pursuit of power is the ultimate goal. The art of conquest being the highest attainable goal of a sentient being. Civilizations claiming to be peaceful eventually choke on dust and serve as the food for the empires of those who realize the ultimate perfection..."</em><br />The more she read, the more she wanted to read.... Something in the text was pulling her in...<br />They were weak, she thought, her mood turning black and evil. They left me behind, the cowards...soon, they will be conquered...<br />The conditioning was working.<br />She lost herself in the scrawled literature, as understanding and something deeper over came her... greed.<br />A small voice spoke up from deep inside and said,&nbsp;<em>"Think, Niko. Were they really evil? After all, had not Ariel been like a mother to you?"</em><br />Niko shivered and looked up.<br />"Read, Niko," purred the Queen. "After all, it's only knowledge..."<br />What was she doing here and where was here? The fog seemed to lift from her mind for a moment and she found her attention drawn back to the column in the center of the room. Then, she heard a thought-trace that was not her own as she looked back at that glowing column again.<br /><em>These damn Rangers and their consciences.... They were so stubborn!</em>&nbsp;The words, they were the Queen's! She could almost hear the Queen's frown in the thought voice.<br />The Queen had her shields lowered ever so slightly to work on Niko's conditioning. She looked over to the center of the room, towards the column that emanated the red glow. She'd deal with the source of the glow, that special Psychocrystal later after she had taken care of Niko. She reached out again and touched Niko's temple, bringing her attention back to the tome in front of her.<br />Niko turned back to the volume before her, that was the power the Queen offered and a way for... revenge! Destruction... yes, she had used her powers to destroy...<br />The little voice spoke up again,&nbsp;<em>"Think, Niko. Think. Is this really what you want to do??"</em><br />"And how did it feel to destroy, dear? Remember my gun on Wollchat? And those android guards... How did it feel to see them destroyed?" the Queen prodded.<br />Niko looked at the column in the center of the room again, with a confused expression on her face.<br />"There is nothing there for you. That is a power I have earned. Soon, Niko, soon. You will have your own power... A fleet of ships, a planet to rule. Life-forces to feed on..." the Queen said, trying to lure Niko's attention back to the tome once more.<br />"Yes..." Niko answered slowly, looking once more at the tome.<br />"You are starting to see, aren't you?"<br />The words started blurring before her eyes as she tried to sort through the cloudy images in her mind.&nbsp;<em>"The strong shall overcome the weak and make them their slaves..."</em>&nbsp;the book read.<br />"Yes, power which you can manipulate and use to do what must be done, my dear," the Queen purred.<br />"How do I become strong?" Niko asked.<br />"You must destroy all that would make you weak," the Queen said cryptically.<br />A quick flash of unkempt blond hair appeared in Niko's mind and just as quickly was gone.<br />"Destroy," Niko hissed. "Yes, destroy those bloody cowards... You saved me." She blinked. "Why? Why did you save me? I was weak."<br />"Because, I care about you, my dear. Because I knew you could be so strong," the Queen purred.<br />"Yet, you saved me?" She blinked and questioned again, "Why? Why did= you save me? I was weak."<br />"That is of no matter," barked the Queen. "I had my reasons, girl. You aren't weak anymore. You were like raw ore. I am purifying you. You will be so strong," the Queen soothed. "A powerful ally, to share in the destruction of those... cowards."<br /><em>"The purity of power..."</em>&nbsp;the book read.<br />"And you will destroy those who abandoned you. The ones who weakened you..." the Queen said hypnotically.<br />"They weakened me," Niko said bitterly, viciously.<br />"Yes, child, they weakened you... They deluded you by turning you into one of them: a coward, a weakling. You are more powerful than they are. You can crush their minds. You will crush their minds..."<br />Niko shivered in delight, "Yes, Mistress.... crush their minds..."<br />"You will crush their minds..." the Queen repeated. "I destroyed Daisy O'Mega for your benefit."<br />"She was weak. The weak provide power for the strong..." Niko said.<br />The Queen abruptly changed. "Now, what about Captain Foxx and Dr. Hartford? They are, after all, your friends."<br />Niko stood up and stared at the Queen icily. "Don't talk to me about them. I'd just as soon they didn't exist!" she shouted. "They are cowards!"<br />"I can," the Queen, suggested, "take their influence away. You never have to acknowledge their existence again."<br />Niko looked excitedly to the Queen, "You can, Mistress?"<br />She closed her eyes. A face, a voice...a man in black...No! She wasn't going to have any weakness! She viciously suppressed the memory, focusing on rage.<br />"He betrayed you too, my dear," the Queen said.<br />A moment, for a moment only shock registered on Niko's face. "Betrayed? Who is he, Mistress?"<br />"One of those weak cowards who betrayed you, my dear." the Queen stated. "One of the those who wished to make you weak, as a matter of fact he worked the hardest at it. He ran right into the arms of so many others... you cared for him but he didn't care for you. And now he is so close, but he will not help you, again he turns away."<br />Somehow, that didn't seem right, but Niko determinedly pushed the nagging doubts away.<br />"You will see in time my dear," the Queen said. "Niko, look at me, I care for you. I will keep you strong, only under me will you grow powerful," the Queen whispered.<br />"They're still in my mind." Niko's voice was a squeak. "I don't want them in my mind, Mistress. They are weakening me. I need to be strong. Am I weak in asking you to help?"<br />"No, my dear, only in asking my help will you grow stronger," the Queen answered.<br />Niko straightened. "Help me, then!" she barked.<br />"Yes, Niko, I will help you.... Open your mind to me..." The Queen staggered back. Every psychic shield surrounding Niko suddenly dropped like a stone. She was right, Niko did have an extremely powerful mind and she was almost caught off-guard by its power. With delight, the Queen took possession of her new pupil. She burned away Niko's memories of the Rangers, all her experiences with them.....<br />And Niko was welcoming it!<br />Niko welcomed the Queen fully into her mind. Rejoicing that her Mistress was going to make her strong. Memories burned away, replaced with glorious rage... hate... Power! At first, she welcomed the pain, for one had to endure pain to become strong. Then, the pain intensified and the internal fire that was sweeping her mind, destroying the old memories, seemed to be burning out of control. Her legs buckled and she ended up on the floor on her knees in front of the Queen, who wouldn't break the contact.<br />"Good, good let yourself roll in the power that fills your mind!" said the Queen with a look of glory and accomplishment on her face.<br />Xanadu and BETA went up in a glorious pyre. Nothing remained except her Mistress... and, that, for some reason, filled her with remorse. No... remorse was for the weak. Niko burned that away herself. The fire felt like it was burning out of control in her mind, like it was going to escape and consume the rest of her body and soul....<br />Then, it was over.<br />The Queen smiled as she raised Niko to her feet, "You have proceeded with great speed. Niko, I am proud of you. No...." she said a moment later, "You will no longer be called Niko. That name has too many of your old, weak associations tied to it. From now on you shall be called, Kraya, Kraya Dal'Jesset."<br />Niko, Kraya, took a moment to savor the new name, "Kraya Dal'Jesset... Kraya, after the Warlord-Mistress of Bayla... Yes, Mistress, a proud name. It is an honor to be named by and for you."<br />The Queen watched her try out her new name. Niko, no Kraya, was hers now!<br />"Kraya," Niko/Kraya played with the sound of her new name.<br />The Queen didn't bother to hide her rejoicing. A student... an heir... Yes, indeed. Kraya Dal'Jesset.<br />Student and teacher laughed together.<br />The Queen motioned to her guards, "Show my new student, Kraya Dal'Jesset, back to her quarters. I'm sure she will want to change into something more appropriate."</p>
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<p>The next day, the Laredo paused at the BETA space station while en route to the Third Quadrant to pick up Zach and Doc. Along with Commander Walsh, who would be in charge of BETA's forces during the upcoming battle with the Queen's armada.</p>


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Latest revision as of 09:02, 27 April 2019



Isn't Life Strange

Part VIII

by LadyNiko

"Poets, priests and politicians
Have words to thank for their positions
Words that scream for your submission
And no one's jamming their transmission
'Cos when their eloquence escapes you
Their logic ties you up and rapes you...
De do do do De da da da, The Police

It was a beautiful cage but a cage nonetheless. The Queen's guards escorted Niko to a lavish bedroom. Alien artwork decorated the walls and surrounded a large fireplace where a real fire burned away. The guards took their post solemnly by the door.
The Queen gestured around the room. "Your chambers, my dear. How do you like them?" She was also accompanied by Goose's Slaverlord. She seemed to gain evil delight in making sure that that Slaverlord was near her at all times.
Niko wearily replied, "A prison is still a prison, Your Majesty. However well it is disguised."
The Queen glowered at her. "Don't be ungrateful, Niko. I decorated this room for you. I know about your homeworld. The artwork is native to Xanadu itself..."
Niko shuddered. The Queen was right. She didn't want to notice that detail but how could the Queen have known? What did she know of Xanadu?
"Consider this to be your sanctuary, Niko. Your new home. I will, of course, provide for you within reason."
Niko looked forlornly at Shane's Slaverlord. Oh, if only she could have those days on Granna back. If she could have said good-bye again.
"Don't be tiresome, my dear and attempt to rescue any of the Slaverlords. You won't do them or yourself any favors."
Niko tried not to let her surprise show. How did the Queen know what she was thinking?
The Queen said, "Nothing you think is secret from me, my dear. Now, I want to hear you promise that you won't try to rescue them. I want your word." The Queen's hand took her chin in what appeared to be a gentle manner but the ice-cold, razor-sharp nails dug into Niko's chin.
Niko tried to look away but couldn't escape the Queen's powerful gaze. Her ruby eyes paralyzed Niko. She couldn't escape the grip... She was aware now that she was shaking.
"Promise me," the Queen said almost sweetly. "Promise me like you promised your loyalty."
Niko tried to resist the probe she felt reaching into her mind. She tried to look at the Slaverlord just inches away but her eyes wouldn't move from the Queen's gaze. She was prey and the Queen was enjoying being the predator. She flailed about in her mind, trying to struggle, but her attempts at resistance only met with more of the Queen's calm determination.
The Queen gripped Niko's chin and said, "Don't struggle. You'll only hurt yourself."
Niko managed to put a hand on her badge to activate her implant.
The Queen reached out and snatched the badge away out of her trembling grip. She didn't want Niko activating her implant and undoing all the progress she had made with her so far. "None of this, my dear. Not right now. It will only remind you of them... Now, promise me like you promised your loyalty."
Niko was battered by strange emotions, feelings and images that were flooding into her mind. She saw the ruined heap that had once been Mel; Brutus and Voyager carrying their riders further and further from her... She saw Ranger-One leaving the Crown base, leaving her behind as she watched on the viewer. Niko gasped and tried to retreat long enough from the Queen's presence to shield her mind, to block out all the images and emotions she was being flooded with.
But, the Queen allowed her no quarter, and Niko tried to resist. "They left you behind, child. They don't care about you. Not as much as I do...Trust me, Niko. Think about them. They ran away from you when you needed them the most."
"No! You're lying! They'll be back for me," Niko protested.
More inky thoughts were twining around her memories, distorting their meaning, taking them out of context... painting an ugly picture.
"Yes, Niko, they deserted you... You were misguided. I know how well Captain Foxx can manipulate others. He manipulated you, poor dear, but I'm here. I'm sorry you had to learn about his cowardly nature the hard way. They don't care for you. Not as much as I do...Trust me, Niko. I want you to trust me..."
Niko's legs were giving out from under her. She tried to look away, but the lock the Queen had on her was too strong. Her voice was only the faintest of sounds as she said, "Zach isn't a coward. Neither is Doc and neither is..." her voice choked.
"They abandoned him, too, dear," she said. "Remember? They abandoned you both. Trust me, Niko, I will never desert you."
"I trus..." realizing that this was her own voice speaking, Niko pushed her mind again to the surface in an attempt to clear her thoughts. Had she almost given in?!
"Now, tell me you trust me. Just three simple words. Just say it. Say you trust me. You almost said it...it's not so hard to say, my dear. Just say it and you can rest."
"No..." it was barely a whisper.
The Queen's fingers dug painfully into Niko's jaw.
"I...." Niko gasped and fought to clear her mind. She couldn't give in. "I..." her voice choked on the words, as another round of twisted imagery flooded her. "trus..."
"Niko, you would save yourself so much trouble if you would just give in and say those three little words." the Queen said. "You can be tiresome, Niko, or you can cooperate." She continued as she flooded Niko's mind with more twisted and perverted memories.
Niko was overwhelmed. She couldn't tell if they were real or false anymore. She was so tired....
They had run away...they had left her here...but they didn't have a choice, or did they?
"Say it!!" The Queen called out again placing the full force of her will upon the mind of the young woman before her. "Say those three little words, Niko, and I will let you rest."
In that moment, that split-second instant of doubt, the Queen seized her chance. "Yes, see what I want you to see..."
Niko was lost.... She swallowed. She was now shaking, breaking out into a cold sweat. She could see nothing but those eyes, hear nothing but that voice.
"I...trust...you..." she choked out. "I trust you, Mistress..."
The icy fingernails suddenly released their grip and Niko fell to the floor, panting.
"Say it again, one last time, child," the Queen smiled triumphantly.
Niko looked up. "I trust you, Mistress," she said in a mechanical voice.
"Very good, my dear, very good. Now, wasn't there something else you wanted to tell me? Something you wanted to promise me?"
Niko struggled to form the words, "I... promise..."
"What do you promise me?" The Queen asked.
"I... promise... you, Mistress... n-not... to... free... any... of the... Slaverlords." The words came from her against her will, but she couldn't stop them.
The Queen knelt down and gently brushed a damp strand of red hair out of Niko's eyes. "That wasn't so bad, was it, Niko?"
Niko didn't say a word. She just didn't have the strength anymore. Tears still ran freely from her eyes and she shuddered at the icy touch of the Queen's hands upon her cheeks.
"Your next set of lessons will start in the morning. Now, it's time for you to rest."
"Yes, Mistress," Niko said in the same tone as before.
The Queen gestured to the Slaverlord, and they walked out the door, letting it slide shut behind them.
Niko knelt on the floor where she was dazed. Eventually, she got up off the floor and climbed into the bed, exhausted. She pulled the blankets over her trembling body, unable to stop the tears running out of her eyes as she pulled the sheets over herself and curled up into a tight ball, shuddering and feeling wretched.

* * * *

As Ranger-One limped back to League Space, Doc noticed that Zach's hands were clenched around the piloting stick and that his face had gone completely ashen, almost as if a statue was flying the ship.
What was left of the sensors indicated a League space station ahead. Zach seemed to be paying no attention as he continued to move little or even notice anything.
"Captain, There's a league space station ahead. We should port there," Doc said quietly.
Zach didn't respond for a minute. But it seemed to shake him a bit from his catatonia. "Right, Doc," he answered finally. He brought the battered hulk around and tried to steer close to the space station, controls still in a deathgrip.
Doc got on the radio and said, "League Space Station, this is Ranger-One requesting permission to dock."
"Ranger-One?" said the technician at the controls. "Yeah, Commander Walsh is looking for you."
"Uh-oh," Doc said under his breath.
Doc and Zach glanced once at each other... they knew what was coming.
"Just clear us for landing, tower," Doc said, exasperation giving an edge to his voice.
Zachary struggled with the controls but was able to bring the ship around somewhat smoothly.
"We failed, Doc... Now, Niko's going to pay for it."
Doc sighed. "We'll get her back, Zach."
"Before or after we have to battle her Slaverlord?"
"I honestly don't know, Captain. But, we will get Niko and Goose out of the Queen's clutches." Doc tried to sound positive.
Then, the two Rangers said nothing more as the station's tractor beam locked on to the battered ship and brought it in to the docking bay. Zach and Doc shut down the engines and secured the ship. They slowly walked out of the ship, not knowing quite what to expect. They were met by a security detail headed up by the security chief.
"Captain Foxx, Ranger Hartford? Come with me, please."
The two Rangers were escorted out of the docking bay and straight to the brig.
Doc collapsed on a bunk, his energy drained from keeping all of his tweakers going at the same time. He tried to think of something witty to say but only grumbled, "To hell with it," and passed out on the bunk.
In what seemed a short time, the security chief reappeared, waking them.
"Captain Foxx? Ranger Hartford? Commander Walsh's shuttle has just arrived."
Doc struggled awake and quipped, "Oh good, I just hate prolonging these things."
Zach was still fairly pale, Doc noticed. He wondered if his captain had gotten any sleep since they arrived.
The security chief gave Doc a quieting look but said nothing.
"How long was I out?" he asked Zachary.
"Thirteen hours," was the curt reply.
Doc shook his head, he still felt that it wasn't enough, but it would have to do for now.
The security chief led them to an office and ushered them inside. Commander Walsh stood in front of the desk frowning.
They walked into an office where the station commander, a gray-haired iron bar of a woman, stood next to Commander Walsh himself. Doc was about to make a short quip about rudeness on the security chief's part but one look at Walsh's face and it died on his lips.
"Uh-oh," Doc muttered under his breath.
Zach straightened up and saluted Commander Walsh and the station commander. He spoke up first, his gravelly voice quiet, yet clear. "Sir, I take full responsibility for this. Hartford was following my orders and plans for this..."
"But, Captain!" Doc protested. "What I did at BETA was hardly following orders!!"
Commander Walsh cut the two Rangers off. "I am sure that Ranger Niko also willingly went along with this crazy idea of yours, Captain Foxx. Just what in the Sam Hill did you hope to accomplish?"
"Rescuing Goose and Miss O'Mega, Commander," Zach answered. "And, preventing the Queen from making more human Slaverlords - any more human Slaverlords... Sir, the Psychocrypt is not a fate I'd wish on anyone." He had spent a short period of time in it, and knew what it did to a person. His wife, Eliza, was still a prisoner of the Queen... her body was in stasis at the Longshot Research Facility, while the Queen held on tightly to the first Psychocrystal she had made from a human.
"And, where is Ranger Niko, Captain Foxx?" the station commander asked.
"Captured, sir." Zachary was obviously ashamed. "I'd walk into the Psychocrypt myself if it would bring them back," whispered Zachary. The look on his face was agony to the eyes but Doc knew that anything he read on the captain's face was just the tip of the iceberg.
Walsh drew in a deep breath. He had been afraid of that.... Now the Queen had two of his best Rangers. He paced the room back and forth struggling with himself. "I ought to throw you in the brig and leave you two to rot after your stunt," he blustered.
"Do what you have to, Commander," Zachary said, resigned.
"You disobeyed orders, put BETA through all sorts of hell and lost another Ranger.. for that you should be arrested!" Walsh said.
Doc exchanged looks with Zachary "But...?" he questioned.
"But..." he said, glaring at Doc "We have an emergency on our hands, so instead you are both being placed on probation. I will decide later what disciplinary measures to take if we make it through the coming battle with the Queen's armada."
"What?!" Doc said both relieved and surprised.
Zachary seemed not to notice.
"The Crown fleet has been massing near the Third Quadrant border and I need you there. But don't think you are getting off on this one," Walsh said, still looking at Doc. "As soon as this is over there will be a hearing. Understand??"
Both Rangers nodded. "Yes, sir."
Doc asked, "Do we know which planet is her target, Commander?"
"We don't know for certain but we believe that Granna is her intended target because it has a high human population and is relatively undefended."
Zachary nodded. "What are our orders, sir?"
"For now, I'm assigning you two to the Laredo. I need the two of you to be watching the Crown fleet closely," Walsh stressed, "without being detected. You'll be part of the Laredo's Interceptor crew. They'll be making runs near the border and you two are going to be in charge of the scouts."
He paused and said, "And if you two pull any more stunts like what you did at BETA Mountain, then you will be spending a long, long time in the brig."
"Why what happened at BETA?" Doc said trying to lighten the tenseness in the room. It didn't work.
"Do I make myself clear, Ranger Hartford?" Commander Walsh asked.
Both acknowledged the statement. Walsh looked them over. Somehow, he got the feeling that any punishment he gave them was nothing compared to he hell they were already putting themselves through. "Do you feel you=92re up to this?" he asked his voice and face softening a little.
Doc took a moment to answer, "Yes, sir, I'm up to this."
"Commander, any chance I have to fight the Crown I'm up to," Zach said, staring Walsh in the eye.
"The Laredo will be here tomorrow," Walsh said. "In the meantime, you'll be taken to quarters and confined there until it arrives. Dismissed."

* * * *

Niko stood in the large room. The Queen stood by her side. There were no cameras here. No guards. She had no idea where she was, nor did she know what she was doing there... The place was richly decorated. The Queen didn't even look the same.
She wasn't wearing her formal robes of office, opting for a heavy purple robe. The headdress was gone, revealing close-cropped dark hair, diving over to silver.
"This," said the Queen. "Is my private study. Feel free to look at the books."
Niko knew she should be taking note of this but her head was so foggy... She walked into the room slowly. The place was dimly lit and not by electrical means, except for an eerie blood red glow coming from the center of one of the tall Romanesque column in the center of the room. Something about the column called to her and she slowly walked to the center of the room to look at the forcefield but the Queen guided her away.
"There is nothing in there for you. Now, it is time for you to read..."
"Yes, Mistress." Niko was led away from the column and sat at a large ebony desk. She kept looking backwards at the column. The Queen grumbled a curse and touched Niko's temple. The curiosity about the column vanished and Niko turned her attention to the books on the desk. Real leather and vellum. She was surprised by that.
"Like them?" the Queen asked. "They're my greatest treasure. A millennia of observations and lore. I thought a scholar like yourself would be interested."
The writing was a strange, spidery script that seemed to flow right off the page and was hard to focus on. But, somehow, she could read the script and what it said....
"The power and life force of the weak is what the strong have always used to survive. Just as a predator eats prey to survive, so must strong beings feed on the weaker beings to ensure their survival."
"You are powerful, Niko." She could hear the Queen's whisper at her neck. "That is why I watched you. That is why I waited for this..."
Niko whipped around, but she couldn't see the Queen.
She knew she should be disgusted by this writing, by what it was saying, by what the Queen was saying to her. But, somehow, she wasn't. She was almost excited by it...The books caught her attention. They seemed to pull her into the page. She read page after page allowing the words to spill over into her mind.
"The weaker beings serve only one purpose - to nourish the strong," the book continued. It gave examples of wars, what atrocities the victors did to the vanquished.
The words burned into her mind. The book told tales of a dozen conquered worlds... Power was blood. Power was conquest and preying.
So she turned another page...
"The Prey, as much as they claim to resist, actually are on many levels willing to submit themselves to a power higher than themselves. All war and resistance is a sacrifice by the weak to the strong."
The Queen stood back and watched Niko absorb the text in the books.
"Prey claim to be interested in peace and justice... the pursuit of power is the ultimate goal. The art of conquest being the highest attainable goal of a sentient being. Civilizations claiming to be peaceful eventually choke on dust and serve as the food for the empires of those who realize the ultimate perfection..."
The more she read, the more she wanted to read.... Something in the text was pulling her in...
They were weak, she thought, her mood turning black and evil. They left me behind, the cowards...soon, they will be conquered...
The conditioning was working.
She lost herself in the scrawled literature, as understanding and something deeper over came her... greed.
A small voice spoke up from deep inside and said, "Think, Niko. Were they really evil? After all, had not Ariel been like a mother to you?"
Niko shivered and looked up.
"Read, Niko," purred the Queen. "After all, it's only knowledge..."
What was she doing here and where was here? The fog seemed to lift from her mind for a moment and she found her attention drawn back to the column in the center of the room. Then, she heard a thought-trace that was not her own as she looked back at that glowing column again.
These damn Rangers and their consciences.... They were so stubborn! The words, they were the Queen's! She could almost hear the Queen's frown in the thought voice.
The Queen had her shields lowered ever so slightly to work on Niko's conditioning. She looked over to the center of the room, towards the column that emanated the red glow. She'd deal with the source of the glow, that special Psychocrystal later after she had taken care of Niko. She reached out again and touched Niko's temple, bringing her attention back to the tome in front of her.
Niko turned back to the volume before her, that was the power the Queen offered and a way for... revenge! Destruction... yes, she had used her powers to destroy...
The little voice spoke up again, "Think, Niko. Think. Is this really what you want to do??"
"And how did it feel to destroy, dear? Remember my gun on Wollchat? And those android guards... How did it feel to see them destroyed?" the Queen prodded.
Niko looked at the column in the center of the room again, with a confused expression on her face.
"There is nothing there for you. That is a power I have earned. Soon, Niko, soon. You will have your own power... A fleet of ships, a planet to rule. Life-forces to feed on..." the Queen said, trying to lure Niko's attention back to the tome once more.
"Yes..." Niko answered slowly, looking once more at the tome.
"You are starting to see, aren't you?"
The words started blurring before her eyes as she tried to sort through the cloudy images in her mind. "The strong shall overcome the weak and make them their slaves..." the book read.
"Yes, power which you can manipulate and use to do what must be done, my dear," the Queen purred.
"How do I become strong?" Niko asked.
"You must destroy all that would make you weak," the Queen said cryptically.
A quick flash of unkempt blond hair appeared in Niko's mind and just as quickly was gone.
"Destroy," Niko hissed. "Yes, destroy those bloody cowards... You saved me." She blinked. "Why? Why did you save me? I was weak."
"Because, I care about you, my dear. Because I knew you could be so strong," the Queen purred.
"Yet, you saved me?" She blinked and questioned again, "Why? Why did= you save me? I was weak."
"That is of no matter," barked the Queen. "I had my reasons, girl. You aren't weak anymore. You were like raw ore. I am purifying you. You will be so strong," the Queen soothed. "A powerful ally, to share in the destruction of those... cowards."
"The purity of power..." the book read.
"And you will destroy those who abandoned you. The ones who weakened you..." the Queen said hypnotically.
"They weakened me," Niko said bitterly, viciously.
"Yes, child, they weakened you... They deluded you by turning you into one of them: a coward, a weakling. You are more powerful than they are. You can crush their minds. You will crush their minds..."
Niko shivered in delight, "Yes, Mistress.... crush their minds..."
"You will crush their minds..." the Queen repeated. "I destroyed Daisy O'Mega for your benefit."
"She was weak. The weak provide power for the strong..." Niko said.
The Queen abruptly changed. "Now, what about Captain Foxx and Dr. Hartford? They are, after all, your friends."
Niko stood up and stared at the Queen icily. "Don't talk to me about them. I'd just as soon they didn't exist!" she shouted. "They are cowards!"
"I can," the Queen, suggested, "take their influence away. You never have to acknowledge their existence again."
Niko looked excitedly to the Queen, "You can, Mistress?"
She closed her eyes. A face, a voice...a man in black...No! She wasn't going to have any weakness! She viciously suppressed the memory, focusing on rage.
"He betrayed you too, my dear," the Queen said.
A moment, for a moment only shock registered on Niko's face. "Betrayed? Who is he, Mistress?"
"One of those weak cowards who betrayed you, my dear." the Queen stated. "One of the those who wished to make you weak, as a matter of fact he worked the hardest at it. He ran right into the arms of so many others... you cared for him but he didn't care for you. And now he is so close, but he will not help you, again he turns away."
Somehow, that didn't seem right, but Niko determinedly pushed the nagging doubts away.
"You will see in time my dear," the Queen said. "Niko, look at me, I care for you. I will keep you strong, only under me will you grow powerful," the Queen whispered.
"They're still in my mind." Niko's voice was a squeak. "I don't want them in my mind, Mistress. They are weakening me. I need to be strong. Am I weak in asking you to help?"
"No, my dear, only in asking my help will you grow stronger," the Queen answered.
Niko straightened. "Help me, then!" she barked.
"Yes, Niko, I will help you.... Open your mind to me..." The Queen staggered back. Every psychic shield surrounding Niko suddenly dropped like a stone. She was right, Niko did have an extremely powerful mind and she was almost caught off-guard by its power. With delight, the Queen took possession of her new pupil. She burned away Niko's memories of the Rangers, all her experiences with them.....
And Niko was welcoming it!
Niko welcomed the Queen fully into her mind. Rejoicing that her Mistress was going to make her strong. Memories burned away, replaced with glorious rage... hate... Power! At first, she welcomed the pain, for one had to endure pain to become strong. Then, the pain intensified and the internal fire that was sweeping her mind, destroying the old memories, seemed to be burning out of control. Her legs buckled and she ended up on the floor on her knees in front of the Queen, who wouldn't break the contact.
"Good, good let yourself roll in the power that fills your mind!" said the Queen with a look of glory and accomplishment on her face.
Xanadu and BETA went up in a glorious pyre. Nothing remained except her Mistress... and, that, for some reason, filled her with remorse. No... remorse was for the weak. Niko burned that away herself. The fire felt like it was burning out of control in her mind, like it was going to escape and consume the rest of her body and soul....
Then, it was over.
The Queen smiled as she raised Niko to her feet, "You have proceeded with great speed. Niko, I am proud of you. No...." she said a moment later, "You will no longer be called Niko. That name has too many of your old, weak associations tied to it. From now on you shall be called, Kraya, Kraya Dal'Jesset."
Niko, Kraya, took a moment to savor the new name, "Kraya Dal'Jesset... Kraya, after the Warlord-Mistress of Bayla... Yes, Mistress, a proud name. It is an honor to be named by and for you."
The Queen watched her try out her new name. Niko, no Kraya, was hers now!
"Kraya," Niko/Kraya played with the sound of her new name.
The Queen didn't bother to hide her rejoicing. A student... an heir... Yes, indeed. Kraya Dal'Jesset.
Student and teacher laughed together.
The Queen motioned to her guards, "Show my new student, Kraya Dal'Jesset, back to her quarters. I'm sure she will want to change into something more appropriate."

* * * *

The next day, the Laredo paused at the BETA space station while en route to the Third Quadrant to pick up Zach and Doc. Along with Commander Walsh, who would be in charge of BETA's forces during the upcoming battle with the Queen's armada.

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