“What. The. FUCK!!!” Lonin Paine asked herself. She couldn’t say it out loud because there was a ball gag in her mouth. She was chained by each arm and leg, spread eagle, suspended in the air and naked. How in the universe did she allow this to happen? Oh, she would get loose and the Antarans and Paktrons would pay. Starting with that piece of shit, Mikos 5 and followed by Shardreez and Preondar. She would get out of these chains and collar- it would just take time. That collar, that damned collar, she vowed that she would never be collared again….EVER!

A week ago, Lonin sat in a bar on the Thetus spaceport. She wore her standard light brown leather bodice, matching leather sleeves that tied to her vest and came to her wrists, ending with black leather fingerless gloves. Under her bodice, she had a body suit that covered her from her collarbone to just below her knees. Her leather pants were slightly darker than her bodice. She wore black leather boots that laced to her knee. All were form fitted that fit her perfectly, allowing for lethal movements. She was armed, heavily armed. Each part of her clothing had compartments for throwing knives, ammunition, grenades, and small tools. At each thigh she wore a blaster pistol. And on her back were her two favorite swords that were held magnetically to her bodice. The swords she carried could only be released from their compartment by her. As soon as she touched a sword it would release and become a part of her. From the many years of physical training and obtaining knowledge through the hosts that she absorbed, she had become an assassin, and the most dangerous one in the galaxy.

Lonin Paine had been abducted from Earth one night by the Chandran. They were a species of scientists who wanted more information on extending their lives. The only species who lived a shorter life span in the known universe that was genetically close to the Chandran were Earthlings. They abducted and experimented on the Earth creatures for centuries. The Chandrans were also the closest inhabited planet to earth which made it easy for them to abduct the primitive life forms. They thought they found the answers to all their questions when they went a different route in their hypothesis. All the captured specimens had died, except for this “new” subject- LA9pN- Female. She appeared to decline in age, metabolic structure, and was given a variety of genetic modifications to “hold” her body at a certain age. In effect they changed her DNA to combine with other extreme long-lived beings. She was their first success. They decided to push further into modifications, all of which could be applied to their own species. They wanted to live forever, have the greatest power in the universe, and then they would take over the galaxy. Except, that wasn’t what happened. LA9pN did her own experiments. She soon found that she could extract the life force from her captors, she thought she had become a kind of vampire. It worked. Slowly she took energy, draining them not noticeably at first and not to the point of killing the scientists. She found that their knowledge also passed into her. She learned their language. She learned how to use their computers, and she had the determination to learn everything and become a very talented and dangerous woman that she was now.

Having hacked into several communications, Lonin had discovered that children were being kidnapped from prominent families in the galaxy. She had also found the money trail for the sale of these children to Paktra. Paktra was a bi-pedal race similar to humans, but with small circular eyes and three long fingers on each hand. She knew nothing more about the Paktrons physical appearance, but she would be learning their features soon enough, especially how quickly they would be dying.

She easily hacked into the Paktron imperial storage unit, they had very few safeguards in their systems…idiots. Reading through files she discovered that the Paktrons were a disgusting race that like to torture their victims. They actually wrote down all their torture and mutilation of people. She had been through a lot of torture since being abducted from Earth and genetically modified, but nothing seemed as depraved as this low-life race.

Lonin took her ship, the Ariadne, to Paktra but could not get entrance to the system, let alone the planet. They had shielded space. “Strange that she could easily hack into the informational system, but not bring down the shielding. It’s probably not Paktran, I would bet that this technology was from another species. Not important now, but something I would delve into later, maybe.” Lonin thought.

She was not familiar with this technology. She used everything that she knew to bring the shielding down. Frequencies, electromagnetic force, and about a hundred other ideas that have worked with other shield barriers, but not this one. This puzzle would take time and time she didn’t have. Each time she tried something, she would mask the “anomaly” to look like a natural occurrence, but each time a Paktron guard ship would investigate. Thank goodness for the Ariadne’s ability to turn virtually invisible. She had to power down every time to complete the illusion and powering up took time. She worked on this strategy for 3 weeks. Watching as transports gained access, while she was stuck on the wrong side of the barrier. She hacked into each ships manifest, communications, and scans. They were probably bringing the children in to be sold, but she could not be certain. For all she knew the transports could be carrying Vonyart Ale. Entering and high jacking a ship that wasn’t carrying any of the children would endanger the entire group of children. Even if they were carrying a child to be sold, it would still endanger the others that were already on Paktra. She couldn’t do that. Piggybacking on another ship, even cloaked would be deadly. Unauthorized ships going through shielded space could be immediately sensed and detonated. You could mask your ship, but you couldn’t bump into a barrier without be detected. The Ariadne probably could withstand a detonation that the barrier could produce, but she was sure the surrounding vessels, and all vessels within 50 lightyears outside the barrier would be destroyed from the shock wave. Lonin couldn’t chance destroying potentially thousands of innocent lives. She had to think of another way. Stuck between bad and worse. She needed coffee. Knowing that she would probably have to use her telekinetic ability, another present that she received from a Baktran asshole, she would have to practice. The Baktran were a slimy race of globules, that could move things with their minds. Probably an evolutionary trait because they couldn’t pick anything up. This Baktran had slithered its way onto the Ariadne through a vent and tried to deactivate her ship. When she left Baktra, the slimy mess was powder. The problem was that she rarely used the ability. The rest of the evening, she would practice her telekinesis.

First thing in the morning, by Sector standards, she had to talk her ship into going along with the plan. Her ship was stubborn, very stubborn. The Ariadne was alive. Lonin had found the ship, nearly dead on a small moon. She had barely arrived, when the small transport she stole broke down. Lonin traced a faint energy signature to the Ariadne. Stepping into the ship, she used her newfound ability to transfer life force energy into the ship. Lonin had no idea how she was doing it, but it felt right. And after feeding on several life forces in the system, all of whom needed to die, she had plenty to spare. The ship had merged with Lonin and gave her the purple skin bands around her wrists that kept her alive and mostly unharmed for the long-term. Lonin’s emotions, mostly anger, gave the Ariadne energy. Fuel cells to run the electronics and life support could be drained from any ship in the sector. The Ariadne could also give and receive life force to and from Lonin at any time. That didn’t help with this conversation.

“This will work.” Lonin said.

“This is reckless, I will be too far away to help you. I don’t like it.”

“We have tried everything. What else can we do?”

“What part of I WON’T BE ABLE TO HELP YOU FROM THE DISTANCE OF THE BARRIER, don’t you understand? You could die! I would be left alone…again. This is the least intelligent thing you have done… in a long time.” The Ariadne angerly expressed.

“When did you get so emotional?” Lonin answered with a slight laugh.

“When did you become so attached to every living soul in the galaxy. You have killed thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands before and some were children, why now?”

In a small voice Lonin answered, “because I couldn’t save them all.”

“You’ve saved many, many more than you accidently killed.”

Lonin lowered her head and said in a whisper “Their faces haunt my dreams.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t keep looking at the video records. You do this too often. It can’t be a good thing.” Quietly the Ariadne answered.

“Someone needs to remember their faces.” Lonin lamented.

“I understand your feelings, but we…”

“We have tried EVERYTHING, Ari.” Lonin shouted in frustration. “I have wasted almost a month trying different tactics. How many more children will be ripped from their families? I have no family anymore, except you. I appreciate that you….”

“You. Can’t. Be. Certain. They. Are. Still. Alive.” The Ariadne answered, each word distinctly spoken.

“We have to try.”

Silence.