Chapter V: Escape!

Satisfied that the human had not been permanently damaged, Vishy slung his rifle across his back, and moved over Rick so he could move the human back into its cell. As the garasian bent down, Rick's foot suddenly flashed up, and connected with the underside of Vishy's head. The shock rendered the garasian unconscious, and the large alien collapsed on top of Rick.

Rick grunted as the dead weight of the garasian pinned him to the deck. He managed to grab a leg and used it to push up on Vishy's body enough to let him squirm out from underneath the alien. He sat up and rested a moment. He was glad he paid attention in the self-defense class when they covered hand- to-hand combat with aliens. Garasians look tough, but they have a glass jaw. From what the instructor said, Vishy should be out for a couple of hours, at least.

Rick stood up and unhooked the rifle from the garasian's back. The grip felt very uncomfortable, but he thought he could shoot it if necessary. He tried to move the body into the storeroom, but Vishy's body was just too large and awkward. He pulled out the jumper strips that were in the storeroom lock, and the door slid shut. Keeping a close eye on the unconscious alien, Rick approached the third door and wired the lock. The door slid open to reveal another cell like his. A quick look around convinced Rick that it was unoccupied. The bunk was neat and the table was still folded up in the wall.

There was only one other door left in this section, at the end of the corridor. If he was right about his layout of the ship, this would have to be Blackcoat's cabin. And if Jamie wasn't in the other cell, then, . . . Rick halted that line of thought. The idea of that murderous pirate forcing himself on Jamie got Rick mad. He examined the lock, and it appeared to be the same as the others. He pried the cover off and applied his makeshift jumpers. The door whooshed open, and the room was dark.

Rick stepped into the room, and the lights came on. Fearful of an ambush, he darted to one side and crouched, but no attack materialized. He stood up and looked around. It appeared that he was right. This was Blackcoat's cabin. He glanced at the door, and noticed that this one had a keypad on this side. No prisoner lived here. He looked over the furnishings. There was a desk and chair, both slightly oversized to him, but would fit an erscan just right. War trophies and memorabilia covered the walls and bookshelves. There was also another door on the right wall.

Rick put his back against the wall next to the door and pressed the small panel next to the door. It quietly slid open, to reveal another dark room. He glanced in, and with the light that spilled in from the office, he could see a very wide bed. The covers were disturbed, and there was a small body curled up under the covers. A simple white dress lay on the floor in a heap at the foot of the bed.

Rick stepped in, feeling ready to rip Blackcoat's head off with his bare hands. The room lights came on, and Rick could see red hair flared out against the dark sheets and pillows of the bed. As Rick approached, he saw a pair of restraints lying on the floor by the side of the bed. If she was hurt in any way, he would hunt down Blackcoat, and nothing, not even a ship full of garasian warriors, would be enough protection from his wrath. Rick reached the side of the bed, and gently shook Jamie's shoulder. Her skin was warm to his touch, and she stirred a little in response to the shaking.

"Jamie, wake up," whispered Rick.

"Hmm?" Jamie cracked opened her eyes, and as she saw Rick, her eyes snapped open. "Rick. How did you get it here?"

"I've come to rescue you. Are you all right?"

Jamie stared at Rick just for a second longer, then she started crying and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Rick, it was awful. The things he did . . ."

"Shhhh. It's okay now. I'm here, and I'm going to get you out of this place." Rick wrapped his arms around her, noticing that she was wearing a very skimpy green piece of lingerie that barely covered her charms, but failed to hide them.

Rick let her cry into his chest for a few minutes, and then she started to calm down. He let go of her and picked her dress off the floor and handed it to her. "Here. This will keep you warmer." He looked for any bruises or signs of discomfort as she gracefully swung her long, smooth, legs off the bed and stood up.

Jamie took the dress, but didn't put it on right away. "What's the matter, Rick?"

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" asked Rick. He gulped as he asked her. The sight of her was very exciting, and he was trying to remember what he wanted to do next.

"It only hurts inside, darling. I'm not injured. It's just that the things he forced me to do, . . ." Her voice trailed off again, and she wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Rick immediately went over to her and held her tight. Her arms clung to him and she pressed her body tightly to him. Rick felt very strong feelings in his loins as this beautiful, near naked woman held onto him for support, but before anything could happen, they had to leave.

"Put on your clothes, Jamie, while I look for the way out." Rick reluctantly let go of her, but before he could back away, she gave him a long, deep kiss.

As their mouths separated, she looked up into his eyes with fierce desire. "If we survive, will you help he forget the things he did to me?" she asked in a deep, sultry voice.

Rick could only nod in response, and he turned away to hide his growing interest in her. He glanced around the bedroom, and saw another door to the rear. He went over to it and looked in.

"That's the bathroom," said Jamie, her voice slightly muffled as she pulled the dress over her head.

He looked back at her. "Do you know when Blackcoat will return?" asked Rick.

Jamie shook her head, her red locks fanning out around her. "He left about an hour ago, to go on duty, I think. He should be away for a while." She watched Rick look around the walls of the bedroom. "What are you looking for, darling?"

"A way out." Rick poked his head in the closet, shoving aside several uniforms.

"Uh, what about the way you came in?" asked Jamie.

"There’s got to be an escape pod attached to this section somewhere." Rick came out of the closet and headed back into the office. Jamie followed after him, and grabbed his hand. He smiled at her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Jamie saw the open front door. "Let's look out heEEK!" Jamie froze as she looked out into the hallway, and her hands darted up to her face.

Rick glanced out and saw that Vishy was still flat on the floor. Jamie looked up at him. "What happened to him?"

Rick smiled at her again. "Glass jaw. He should have known better than to mess with a Stellar Patrol Officer in the process of rescuing a beautiful damsel in distress."

Jamie clung to him. "Thanks for finding me, but how are we going to escape?"

"There has to be an escape pod here somewhere," he said again as he examined the walls to the office. Jamie followed along, holding his hand tightly.

"Wouldn't it be out in the hallway?" asked Jamie.

Rick shook his head. "I looked. There wasn't one there. Besides, Blackcoat is the type that would want one as close to him as possible, and forget about anyone else. He's always the first to desert a holed ship." Rick felt Jamie's hand tighten in his, but her grip relaxed quickly as he looked back at her. "Don't worry. We'll find it and get out of here."

"Just don't let him hear you talk about him that way," said Jamie.

Rick rubbed the side of his face. "I won't. I found out about his temper. He's really sensitive about the coward thing, isn't he?"

Jamie nodded. "So I found out too."

Rick gave her a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. "Everything will be fine. Help me look for the pod. Knowing him, he probably has it hidden somewhere, afraid that someone would try to steal it."

"Is it paranoia if he's right?" asked Jamie, smiling a little.

Rick nodded. "For him, yes." Rick started to examine the large bookcase.

"Be careful, Rick. I asked him if I could read something last night, and he told me not to touch the red book," said Jamie.

"The red book?" repeated Rick. He looked over the books on the shelves, and spotted a bright red binding. He bent down and read the title. It was in Erscan script, but Rick had learned several alien languages while at the academy, and Erscan was one of them. "Hmm. GREED AND POWER by J. R. Addams." Rick reached down and pulled on the book.

There was a clanking noise, and the light in the room turned red. The bookcase slid to one side, revealing the small round hatch that was the standard for escape pods.

"Oops, I bet we just set off all the alarms on the bridge. In we go," said Rick. He pressed the large illuminated button on the left side, and the pod door swung open. He helped Jamie get in, and then squeezed in after her. The pod had only one seat, and little extra room.

"Sorry about the cramped quarters, Jamie. It looks as if he was planning on leaving alone if the ship went down."

Jamie curled up on his lap and snuggled close to him. "I don't mind, darling. Not as long as we're together."

Rick smiled at her, and punched the eject button. The hatchway doors slammed shut, and they were pressed even closer together as the pod blew free of the garasian ship. Rick had the air knocked out of him as the ejection forced Jamie's elbow into his stomach.

The tiny port in the pod showed the dull gray field of hyperspace for a few seconds, and then Rick began to see small sparkles appear in the gray void. "Hang on tight. We're about to fall through the hyperspace fold into normal space."

"Is it safe?" asked Jamie, her eyes wide with concern.

Rick shook his head. "I haven't been through it, but I'm told it's like being in a rollercoaster, and just as you crest the top of the first steep track, it's like looking down and discovering that the track suddenly ends, and you are propelled into space. It's not the fall, it's the sudden stop at the end that gets you." While Rick was explaining, he made sure that the safety straps were secure around Jamie. He hesitated slightly as he crossed the straps between her breasts, and then locked the straps. "Hang on. Close your eyes. The flash of the transition is very bright."

"Okay, Rick." She gave his leg a gentle squeeze. "In case things don't work out, I just want you to know that I really appreciate what you've done for me, and anything that happens to us is better than remaining aboard that ship with Blackcoat."

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. He could feel her breathing, the gentle pressure of her body felt like warm waves lapping up against him. He could feel her heart beating rapidly, in anticipation of the drop to normal space. Her face looked like an angel's resting in peace. Rick hoped that the drop wouldn't be too rough on her.

The view outside the porthole began to change. The sparkles became brighter and more colorful, like watching fireworks all going off at once. He suddenly began to feel possessive towards Jamie, and thoughts of what it would be like to run his hands through her hair and over her body began to fill his mind.

The intensity of the hyperspace effect continued to increase, and Rick couldn't help comparing the wonderful sight outside the porthole with the one inside the pod. The sparkling increased to the point that the flashes were more like lightning than fireworks. Then, with a sudden convergence of energy, the porthole flared blue-white with the brilliance of the conversion to normal space. The pod kicked around like a wild rocket, and Jamie let out a shriek at the sudden convulsions of the space-time continuums as they fought for possession of the escape pod. Then, with a single savage kick, the pod left the domain of hyperspace, and knocked both the occupants into unconsciousness.

Rick heard a faint moan, and he listened closely. It sounded familiar, and then he realized that it was himself. He pried his eyes open, and looked down at Jamie's face. Her head was back and her mouth was open towards him. He felt for a pulse at the base of her neck, and found one beating strong under her warm, soft skin. He tilted his neck down and covered her mouth with his and kissed her. Her eyes flickered open, and she returned his kiss with one of her own.

They held onto each other for a few minutes, recovering from the drop from hyperspace. Finally, Jamie spoke, her voice rough and coarse. "Wow, what a ride." She coughed and cleared her throat, and her voice became more normal. "I hate to sound so mundane, but I'm thirsty and hungry."

"So am I," said Rick. "There should be some emergency rations here somewhere." Rick searched around and found tubes of the same yellow fluid he had back in his cell, and a dozen emergency packs. "Here. The bars don't taste too great, but this juice stuff is pretty good." He handed her a squeeze pouch and a bar.

"Yeah, I know. I've been living off of them for two mon..., I mean weeks. It's felt like two months." Jamie smiled up at Rick.

He smiled back. "I guess it could feel like that after awhile."

They ate and drank in silence, acutely aware of their close proximity in the small, cramped pod. All Rick could smell was her amazing scent. Even the ration bar tasted like her essence, and for once, Rick didn't mind the taste.

"So now what happens?" asked Jamie.

Rick swallowed the last of his juice. "Well, if this was a normal pod, it would be sending out a distress signal over all ship communication bands. However, I don't think that Blackcoat would want to attract just anyone." Rick examined the meager controls and readouts that the minimal control console provided. He tapped the screen after a few minutes. "Yeah. It's got a transponder, but it's set to an unused frequency. I bet he has friends that watch for it and will come to collect the pod."

"Can't we shut it off or something?" asked Jamie.

"If we did that, then no one would find us. I have to see if I can change the channel and get the signal to where an SP cruiser will spot us."

"If you do, how long will it be before they find us?"

Rick shrugged. "Don't know. Depends on how far away they are. Usually there are cold-sleep provisions built in."

"Great. So you can reset the frequency, and we can sleep together until help arrives." Jamie snuggled into him and wrapped her arms around him.

Rick popped open the compartment that contained the coldsleep supplies. "I'm sorry, Jamie. This pod was only designed for one occupant. If one of us goes into coldsleep, the other will die."

"Oh." Jamie looked crestfallen. "Well, you take it, then. You're an SP officer, and the galaxy needs you to fight off the pirates so that what happened to me won't happen to another girl."

"I didn't go to all this effort to let you die, Jamie. Let me try to reset the transponder, and we can wait a while together. If we run out of time, then you go into coldsleep. I'll dictate my report into the pod recorder, so the SP's will know what happened. My job is to protect citizens like you."

Jamie looked deep into his eyes. "Thank you, Rick. I'll try to make your last hours as pleasant as I can. It's the least I can do." Jamie lifted herself off of his lap as much as the pod would allow and started to lift her dress over her head. Just as her head was covered by the loose folds of cloth, there was a metallic clang from the hull of the pod, and both Rick and Jamie were thrown to the floor of the pod in a pleasantly tangled heap. Rick freed himself and looked out of the porthole.

All he could see were two docking clamps attached to the sides of the pod, and the dark insides of a small cargo bay. Rick turned to Jamie. "I'm sorry. It looks as if someone has found us already, and it has to be either Blackcoat or one of his friends. I haven't been able to change the frequency on the transponder yet."

Jamie looked back up at him in fear as the pod was drawn into the unknown ship. They heard several metallic knocking noises as the pod was settled into a position, and then the hatch began to open.

To Be Continued...