Torl's Journey

Torl was awake long before the morning bell tolled. He was very nervous about the task he had set for himself today. The attempted escape from a star ship in flight, including the termination of the captain, was no simple task.

And Seala? She might not make it another day. He sat in his cell and gathered the power colors. The browns, the blacks, the whites, the greens, and the blues were flowing to him in a constant stream now. By the time the morning bell sounded, Torl had drawn as much power as he could hold.

Now he must wait for the captain to finish his morning rounds. When that was done, the captain would return to his quarters and no one would miss him for several hours. Torl had planted a suggestion that the captain deserved a day to himself with no interruptions. With his big ego, the captain had bought the idea as though it were his own.

Everything was set. If this were successful, Torl and Seala would disembark the ship in port on one of the outer worlds that this ship carried supplies for. The ship was due to dock at .03218 next day. If Torl failed...well...he simply could not fail.

He reached out tentatively and touched the captain’s mind. The captain had just completed his rounds and was giving his first officer orders to ensure that he would not be disturbed for the remainder of the day. That completed, the captain went into his quarters, and turned on the privacy control system.

It was time...Torl selected the browns and sliced into the captain’s mind. He could feel the realization and sudden fear that the captain faced. The captain cried out but the privacy system was on. No one would hear him. Torl went straight for the block. When he touched it he fought the urge to recoil. In a fraction of a minute he was into the block.

It was black then gray with the oily currents of the dark side of his craft. The red hot ugly hatred that was used in its creation flowed through every part of Torl’s being. He would never feel clean again. Torl thought he could even smell the stuff, a stench like that of human vomit.

It took all his will power just to keep going. He saw faces in the murk, one he even thought he recognized as that of Sawtan. This would fit, given what Torl had heard of the evil Witch that was the source of all the fear now aimed at witches. But what on earth would the evil one want with a mind block on a pirate captain?

Then he was through. The walls of the block disintegrated and the captain was in total panic. Fear ruled his mind and body. The captain finally passed out, the turmoil being too much for him. His mind was open to Torl to scan at his leisure. Only Torl had no time.

What was it that had to be blocked from this man’s conscious mind? Torl was shocked, disgusted, and quickly getting sick to his stomach. He almost lost control and contact but recovered in time not to lose contact.

The captain was Captain Relos, the only non-witch member of Trali’s team. He had been captured early in the battle with Sawtan. Sawtan, unable to make the captain reveal anything about Trali, had decided to make him into what the captain hated most, a pirate. Sawtan had created the block and generated this new identity.

Captain Relos had known Torl’s parents. He had been a friend of the family and knew Torl and his arranged marriage mate “Lia”. In fact, Lia had been with the captain when he was captured by Sawtan.

Sawtan had raped the girl, then about fourteen years in age, in an attempt to make the captain give in. When that did not work, Sawtan had sent the girl to exile on an out world, where she would be an indentured farm worker. He had even told Relos where she would be sent and whom she would work for.

Those names hit Torl like a hammer. The “Lia” in Captain Relos’ mind was Seala’s Mother. Seala was most likely Sawtan’s and Lia’s daughter! The captain had been very proud of the fact that Sawtan never knew the depths of his error in allowing Lia to live. And that was where the old memories ended and this new, despicable, terrorizing pirate captain’s memories began.

Torl was torn. He could not kill the captain now. Not knowing who he really was. But, he could not leave him to recover either. What if the new personality was strong enough to overcome the old? Then Torl would have an enemy at his back. One who had been notorious for his battle skills and quick decisive moves. Torl would not like to match wits with the likes of Relos on his own turf. He must do something...time was wasting.

He decided and went deep into the captain’s mind and put a temporary block in the captain’s spinal control. He would be awake and conscious, but totally paralyzed. This was not a nice thing to do, but Torl could not bring himself to kill the man. Hopefully, Relos would forgive him later.

Torl used the browns again, releasing the lock on his cell. He scanned the hall and found the guard’s mind. One strong burst of brown and orange energy and the man was unconscious.

Now to the snooping devices. Torl’s mind melded into the control system. He located the central control box and reprogrammed it to show a reverse reading and replay the recorded images. Then he shut down the snooping devices. He emerged from his cell, walked straight to the unconscious guard, took his weapons and killed him. Torl had killed before but never in such a cold calculating way. His stomach turned and he had to exert strong will not to stop and give himself up right there and then. But Seala was in trouble and he must free her.

He moved through the ship methodically. First the other two guards fell to his mind and hands. Then he entered the room where Seala was held captive and went straight for the closet that contained the mechanism that was draining her.

He opened the door and felt the power beginning to drain from his body. He braced himself and entered. First, he needed to switch the systems to use the ship’s power cells, to prevent the ship from switching to emergency power and setting off all the alarms. Then he turned the witch based mechanism to the Off position and disconnected the control unit connecting the alien generator to the ship’s systems, and tossed it outside. Then he removed the alien generator, and took it with him as he stumbled out of the room and pushed the door closed. Immediately he could feel the soothing warmth of the power colors returning to his body. He just stood and absorbed them for several minutes before he remembered what it was that he was supposed to be doing.

He blasted the control device on the floor with a weapon he had taken from the first guard then carefully wrapped the alien generator with its wires, and placed it inside of his shirt. Then he went to Seala and removed the device attachments from her. He picked up her small weakened body and carried her to the door. There he set her down and paused for just a minute to fill her with greens, whites, reds, healing, purity and love. Slowly, she responded, smiling up at him. He handed her some food that he had saved and a small container of refresh liquid. Then he told her to wait for him there. When she nodded, he turned on his heel and rushed through the entry way again.

As Torl quickly walked through the passage ways and hall ways of the ship, he searched with his mind for the mind of the first officer, she was the biggest threat remaining, and he must deal with her before she figured out what was going on. He finally found her in the command center. She was sitting at the com station, talking intently to someone. Torl reached out gently and touched her mind. She was receiving coordinate instructions for their approach to the out world “Silius Three”. He had better let her take those and lay in the approach before he took her out.

With that in mind, Torl detoured, taking one of the captain’s secret passages to approach the command center. He continued to monitor her mind and knew that he would be in position long before she was done. He wished she would hurry. He didn’t know how long it would be before one of the bodies was discovered and the alarm sounded.

Torl arrived at the location he had picked for his ambush before the first officer left the command center. He waited and listened to her thoughts as she moved toward him. She was thinking angrily about the way the captain had acted this morning. Telling her that she had better run things just the way that he would if he were there. Jesul, she always ran things better than he did. Someday, she thought, someday she would take him out and run this ship the way it ought to be run.

She rounded the last corner before the spot Torl waited and suddenly she was alarmed. Torl would never know what told her that he was waiting for her there, but she came at him with blood in her eyes and a flamer in her hand.

Her attack was so unexpected and caught Torl so completely off guard that he took a shot in the shoulder before he could recover. The pain was intense, searing from his shoulder all the way down his arm and into his hand. Torl was dazed and she was nearly upon him before he recovered. Then he returned fire, hitting her in the hand and completely severing it. It fell to the floor, still holding her flamer. She staggered for less than a full stride then smoothly kicked his hand, causing the flamer he had used to go flying down the corridor. Torl barely escaped the follow on thrust that was intended to crush his larynx. Then the battle was joined...

She thrust, and he countered. She countered, and he reversed. Both of them were battered and bruised when the alarm sounded. The only reason Torl was still in the fight was that he had been lucky enough with his flamer to sever one of her hands. But when the alarm sounded, she paused for just an instant, and Torl caught her with a heart thrust. As quickly as it had begun, the battle was over. Torl stood over the dead body of this incredibly tough and resilient first officer. She had been as good as the masters back at the monastery. And she was the second best fighter on this ship.

The captain was still alive and this made Torl very uneasy. Someday, he would have to remove the nerve block he had put on the captain. But not today. If the block was removed and the captain decided to attack, Torl would not be able to stand up to him.

Five down, two to go. Torl searched out the minds of the two assassins. They found him before he could find them. They were witches! He had never anticipated this turn of events. Nor had he prepared for the attack of two obviously skilled power users. Their first attack left him staggering and confused. They struck again, and he could feel himself losing consciousness. He was failing! He was doomed and Seala with him unless a miracle happened. He felt the third attack coming and prepared to counter it. As he reached for the power colors he felt a sudden surge of power. Someone was helping him. Someone very strong. He didn’t even feel the third attack. The one that should have left him unconscious. He stood there amazed that he was still conscious for a small fraction of a second. Then a voice came with the power...

“Attack you fool! If you lose, so does my daughter. I’m giving you all the power I can manage over this distance. You must fight the battle yourself!”

“Who...who are you?”

“Later! Concentrate. I cannot keep this up much longer.”

That spurred him on. Torl counter attacked with all the skill he had been taught. He hit the first mind so hard that he could hear it shatter and then felt the assassin die.

The second suddenly put up defenses and tried to disappear. But Torl was ready for her. He struck her with all the force he had remaining, reinforced by that of the stranger who had come to his rescue. Again, he heard the mind at the other end shatter. But this time, he did not feel a death. This was worse than death. The assassin had been rendered mindless. He had destroyed the entire thought center, but not the Medulla. Torl had left this assassin in a black void of nothingness.

Torl raced through the ship to the location of the mindless assassin. When he found her, he quickly snapped her neck granting her simple death and feeling relief as he did so. With that task finished and the ship secure, relief swept through him and Torl slid down the wall and onto the floor. He was totally exhausted and he hurt in both body and mind. This had not been a pleasant day’s work. But it was not yet done. The alarm bell reminded him of that.

Torl forced himself back to his feet, took a flamer from the skirt of his last victim and headed toward the command center. There he found the ship’s control master. A very old man with one eye permanently squinted. He was dirty, wrinkled, and very scarred from many years of poor living. When he saw Torl, fear crept into his face.

“Please sir,” he begged, “Don’t stop me from running my station. The captain’ll kill me if I stop.”

The old man obviously believed what he said. Torl felt sorry for him.

“The captain is my prisoner. The first officer, her security crew and the assassins are all dead. I am in control here now.“, Torl informed him. “I want you to proceed with the planned flight to Silius Three. When we dock, you will explain that we are behind schedule and need to unload, refuel and depart as quickly as possible.

“Yes, sir.” the old man looked at the flamer in Torl’s hand. “Is it really true? The captain is prisoner and his officers dead.” he looked at the flamer again. “How many of you are there?”

“It doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that we are very capable of handling you the way we handled your captain and his officers. So don’t get any ideas.” Torl said pushing the flamer into the old man’s ribs.

“No, sir. No, sir... “, he scratched his head. “But if captain gets loose, he’ll kill you and me too. Best if you kill him now.”

“The captain is mine Torl. You must bring him to me on Sharing Six. I’ll meet you at the star port with my security force. Don’t let anyone touch him. He will pay for what he did to my daughter!”

“Your daughter? ...Lia?”

“Yes. Do as you are told, there is safety here for you and my daughter.”

“Lia, you must promise to hear what I found out about the captain, before you deal with him.”

“...I must do nothing; I have aided you because you have my daughter with you. You bring her safely to me and I will listen to your story. As for the captain, he has a debt to pay.”

“...Sir?”

“What? No, the captain will not escape, and I will not kill him. You need to worry about keeping yourself alive. To do that you had best do exactly as you are told. If you do your job well enough, when we reach our destination, you can have the ship as your own.

We will take the captain with us when we leave the ship. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Torl could see that the man was sincere, he clearly doubted the promise that the ship would be his, but he was not about to challenge the man who had bested the old captain. They would have no more trouble on this trip. The man turned to his control panel and turned off the alarms. Then he began to speak into the intercom. He told the crew that the emergency was over and that they were all to stay at their stations until landing was complete at the star port. He would give them further instructions then.

Torl returned to the captain’s quarters and harnessed the captain securely to his sleep station, and as he departed he disabled the entry mechanism on the captains quarters. Then he went and collected Seala. He took her to the former first officer’s quarters and gently laid her on the sleep station. He pulled out the generator from inside his shirt and turned it on. Immediately, he could feel the surge of power currents. He drew on them and healed his shoulder. Then he tended to Seala.

She was very weak and extremely tired. Torl filled her with the powerful healing colors - greens, whites and reds, then coaxed her into a deep healing sleep. He then turned off the generator and immediately felt the fatigue caused by the activities of the day, and the unfamiliar strain of power usage beyond anything he had attempted before.

He hid the generator in the first officer’s security locker after reprogramming it to his thumb print. It wouldn’t be much use against a power user, but the security locker was proof against anyone else.

Now he had to clean up the bodies, and secure the ship before they docked. It would not do for the port authorities to decide that there had been a mutiny and the ship should be confiscated.

Sometime later, he dragged his exhausted body back to the first officer’s quarters and dropped, sleeping on the guest sleep station. He did remember to set the access lock on the door first, so that they would not be disturbed. No one had access through that door except the captain and the former first officer. Since the first officer was dead and the captain was in no shape to enter, they were as safe as was possible aboard this ship. He would need to deal with the security encoding for the quarters soon, but for now they were safe.