Titan Empire, The Federation Chronicles, Olympus Colony



Chapter 1 Uncle Joe



Yegori Ivanov patiently waited for the elevator to reach the top of the lift pad platform. A technical engineer on each side of him just in case he did something bad like sneezed or something he snickered to himself.

With secret anxiety burning at the pit of his stomach he knew exactly what he needed to do as the elevator slowly ascended.

"Aundrey, give me a cigarette please."

Aundrey chuckled. "Yes comrade, I think I'll light one up too."

"Screw the safety protocols, make that three cigarettes" Laughed Mariopal.

Quickly lighting the cigarettes the three men began inhaling in earnest. With Yegori sucking as much nicotine that his southern Russian lungs could hold.

"You guys wouldn't happen to have some vodka would you?" Yegori joked.

They laughed between their quick inhales. Yegori could see that these guys were just as worried as he was and they had good cause to be. There had been two complete rocket failures last month with several fatalities that were quietly suppressed from ever making Pravda. In fact, Yegori was quite certain that today's launch if not a complete success would suffer another news black out fate. It was becoming routine now.

With a noisy squeak the elevator stopped and the two techs slid open the thin metal doors. The men's eyes opened to saucer shapes when they saw a tall man in a sophisticated black suit with an expesnive looking shopka upon his head.

They at once lowered their hands to try to put their cigarettes out.

"No need for that comrades. I shall join you with one of my own." The wrinkled skinned KGB chief with the intellectual glasses quietly pulled an expensive silver case out of his overcoat pocket and gave himself one.

"Would you three like another, this tobacco comes from Sochi after all."

Yegori spoke up for them. "Thank you comrade Kariga. We would love another one."

"Good, I think this whole space program could use a cigarette truth be known."

The three other men didn't know whether to laugh or just enjoy the fine expensive tobacco brand that they couldn't afford.

The KGB officer reached out and embraced Yegori. Slowly walking him to the capsule door at the top of the massive rocket attached to the building sized launch pad support system.

"Lighten up comrade Ivanov. I'm as eager for you to succeed as you're life depends upon.

We have lost so many brave astronauts in our rush to beat the Yankees into orbit. But we will succeed I assure and mother Russia will swoon with pride over them Capitalistic pigs and their Chevy automobiles.

If we don't succeed this time then perhaps comrade Yuri Gargarin will succeed on the next launch. He's a nice kid from Klushino . A beautiful village near Gzhatsk. Ever been there Yegori? Of course you haven't, I'd know if your documents were stamped to that location and I know everywhere you've ever been my friend. I know of all your family and friends that you've ever made. "

The Russian astronaut knew where this conversation was going. And it infuriated him. He was as loyal to the party as Stalin himself. Or at least that was the persona that he had cultivated over the years. The same image that had gotten him this far into the space program.

The darkly dressed officer motioned the smoking techs to back up into the elevator and they meekly did. Lowering his voice and putting his nicotine smelling mouth very close to the astronaut's ear he continued.

"If you were to come out of orbit and not land in mother Russia, what are your orders comrade?"
"To initiate melt down procedures to the capsule and ingest my cyanide capsules."

"Good.. But let us hope it never comes to that. I would want us to retrieve a strong handsome man who has been trained in so many physical and weapon combat techniques, costing mother Russia so many rubles will become a hero of the Soviet people. A Yankee rock star equivalent." The evil man laughed.
The KGB officer walked back towards the elevator and motioned the two scared technicians to help the astronaut into the re-entry capsule. Closing the doors the officer looked ahead like a frozen statue as his body was taken down below where he could watch the launch from a safe distance as all of his other colleagues had recently learned the necessity of doing.

Yegori smiled to the two shaken techs as they helped him into the capsule. Before they could close the hatch door he quickly made a request.

"Aundrey, can I have another one of your cigarettes? I think I'm going to need it."

All three men burst into a much needed bout of laughter that took the stress out of their bones.
"Here comrade Ivanov, take my pack. Smoke one for me up there."

Yegori gave a thumbs up as the door was shut and secured. The two techs put their thumbs to the door window wishing him luck as well.

*****
One hour later.

The men gathered around the large telemetry equipment did not have smiles on their faces. Nor did Kariga the KGB officer who watched them in silence.

"His orbiting incline is not zero.... It is at a one degree trajectory. Absolute altitude has not been obtained."

The five men wore graven looks on their faces. They knew what this meant.. They had encountered it before.

The KGB officer chimed in.

"Well, one degree trajectory is better than the 5 degree that you sukas achieved last launch. And the 27 degree you pulled off the launch before that.

I suspect you gentlemen will have it right on the next launch.

In the meantime... Launch stattion chief comrade Yakova. You and me are going to have a talk about the best clothing to pack on your trip to Archangel. Ever hear of the place?"

The station chief looked down below his desk and closed his eyes.

*******

Yegori Ivanov looked down at his altimeter and stared.. He had hit it, kicked it. And even prayed to it. But it stubbornly kept giving back a new result that did not bode well for the cosmonaut.

His altitude had just gone from 210 kilometers to 211 kilometers. A minute later and he was at 217km. He was slowly drifting out into space. He knew that landing in China was a much better fate for him than this. He'd much rather die on land. At least he'd be given a grave. Now, he would just become another statistic to be hidden away in the KGB archives in Moscow. His flight blacked out like the others had been. His family would be told that he died in a training accident as per routine in such catastrophes.

The horizon of Earth was sinking further and further below his view ports too. Soon it would be nothing but stars. After that he would begin hallucinating. Then he'd start seeing spots as his air thinned to dangerous proportions. It was a long scary drawn out way to die.

Yegori pulled Aundrey's package of cigarettes out and regarded them. .. Any one of those cigarettes he could light, but due to the oxygen mix in the air, blow him to kingdom come..

The control communications comm link blinked as the facility crew attempted to hail him again. Their voices long since fading out as he got further and further into the upper atmosphere. Far higher than was intended.

He didn't care to report on all of the readings that his instruments were showing him. It was simply time to end the dread and die.

Packing the cigarette he realized that he didn't even have a lighter. Perhaps there was one in the medical kit near the door. It was worth a look.

Unbelting he noticed that he could just glide over to the door. He didn't' need to crawl. It was a wonderful feeling. Why hadn't he done this sooner? Stopping himself he decided to bounce up to the ceiling. Upon slowly impacting with it he pushed against it only to hurl back down to his seat. Then he got braver and did a cartwheel in the weightless air.

This was really fun! Yegori began dancing and spinning like a Dervish. Why not? It was his final bid at fun in such a terminal situation.

This merry dancing in the air went on until his capsule hit something big slamming him against the wall.

*******

"Hyper jump's finished, let's see where we are now. Mara excitedly looked down at the navigational read out.

"We should be right in front of Atzalia .. But that doesn't look like Atzalia." Terra huffed.
"I thought you said that you knew how to fly daddy's yacht Mara!"

"I do, I do! I don't understand this. I put the coordinates in perfectly." An exasperated teenager claimed.

Terra's mind went into quick speed.. This was no longer joy riding to buy Goosi necklaces. This could either land them in a lot of trouble or worse.

"Ok, let's double check what you put in against the flight path of Vorsha to Atzalia. It should be just a simple correction in order to get back to Vorsha.. As I'm no longer in the mood to go shopping after this. Who knows where we'll end up next. The middle of a star knowing you!"

"Shut up Terra, I probably just fat fingered a digit is all.. Ok here it is... I put in 0024200A4326YY1968... What do you see on the flight docs?"

The pretty red haired teenager known as Terra looked at the numbers and then looked at them twice.
"Ug! Do you see the six that came after the digit two? As in, A4326?"

The young lady with the dark hair in a pair of tightly woven braids dangling from her pretty head scrutinized the warp coordinates carefully seeing exactly what Terra was talking about. "Yeah.. So?"

"Yeah, that six should have been a G! We went right past Atzalia to the Solar Earth system... You know, right on the edge of bug territory!"

Mara meekly looked over at her thirteen year (in Titan years) old friend... "Sorry..."

"Sorry, my ass Mara! You could have just gotten us killed over Goosi necklaces. Of all things. I knew I should have just kept my grounded ass at home and not snuck out with you!"

Terra looked back at the flight controls. "You'll need to do a one eighty and put in the sequence in reverse and not fuck it up this time.. I want to go home now!"

"Ok, ok, I'm turning us around you spazoid. It' s not like I've never done this before."

Ping...

Both girls looked over at the bridge window... A small metallic object that was reflecting light off of it's silvery skin just bounced off of it and was now heading back towards the glowing blue planet below but at an extremely slow rate of speed.

They rushed up to the window and pressed their faces to the reinforced translucent metal that allowed them to look out of the ship.

"Hey, that's not a comet particle. That's Titan made! Or something like that!" The dark haired teenager with the fair complexion excitedly remarked.

"It's probably just space junk, let's get out of here before we get into a lot of trouble. Your nav equipment shows that we are sitting in front of a quarantined world called Earth by the locals there. And I'm pretty sure there's an Imperial Frigate parked around here somewhere enforcing the blockade so we're probably going to get into trouble if.."
Mara had gone over to the environmental habitation monitor and did a sweep out to a half a mile in each direction. The only life around was them and whatever was inside of that shiny metal object that just bumped into the yacht.

Mara got more excited. "There's life in it Terra, I'm putting on a Vac suit and going to go get it. Just hold tight for deca unit ok?"

"It could be a can of biological nerve gas for all that we know. No Mara! I want to go home now!"
But Mara was already running down the well lit hall to the rear of the luxury vessel. Her skinny body bounding into the distance on a mission.

"It'll only take a second I promise and then we'll leave. You know how I love souvenirs!" She hollered over her shoulder as a cabin door shut behind her.

Terra stomped her foot and proceeded to leave the bridge for the galley.. She was going to go get herself a nice stiff drink from Mara's father's liquor cabinet. Perhaps that would sooth her nerves for now.

******

Yegori had recovered and was now staring wide eyed at the massive silver vessel that was parked just outside of his beleaguered capsule.. He was ever so slowly edging back away from it and towards Earth again.. At least this was a step in the right direction he reasoned. Other than the fact that there was some kind of massive alien vessel that he'd just rocked against.

Why hadn't their been a Stavka briefing on this sort of thing?

In any event he didn't have long to contemplate this before a massive column with what looked like a gloved hand attached to it impacted his capsule sending him against the wall again.

Righting himself he once again pushed his body to the capsule view port. His craft was being maneuvered through space towards something.

Then a massive helmet came into view. It was the size of a house with what looked like a young feminine face with way too much eye liner on behind a thick glass visor that almost came in contact with the outer metal that kept him from the cold space beyond.

His eyes widened as hers did as well. His in terror, here's in mirthful realization.

It was enough stress in one day for Yegori's body. He promptly fainted into a much needed sleep.

******

Mara giggled. There was a tiny little human inside of that craft. This would be a most rewarding souvenir indeed. An Earthling.. A restricted Earthling at that!.. She'd heard so much about them over the last few years and how controversial the subject of them was. Throwing the idea of human intelligence into a very heated subject as of late. At least it was in the Titan portion of the empire.

Her own older sister shared the intelligence point of view and was in favor of emancipating them. The Federation's stance hadn't changed a single nano unit from what she could tell though. But that sort of thing really didn't' interest her too much anyway. What mattered right now, is here she had herself a free new pet and couldn't wait to get it back home and play with it!

Terra was enjoying a purple colored drink that she knew her parents drank on occasion and she could see why. Her nerves began to become placid once she'd made her fourth gulp of the sweet alcoholic substance. Taking her fifth swig the bridge door opened and in charged Mara still in her vac suit minus the helmet, holding the funny beacon shaped metal object.

"Oh you're not going to believe this!"

Mara slid the fist sized object onto the bar table right in front of Terra and smiled in anticipation..
"Take a look inside!"

Terra put down her drink and obliged her friend... Whatever it took to pacify Mara so that they could be on their way.

"It's dark inside I don't see anything."

Mara reconsidered as she hadn't thought of that.. The Star for this planet was at her back shining directly into the cockpit when she looked inside. Thinking fast she ran over to the flight control console and fished out a thin metal object that resembled a ball point pen and ran back to the table.

At first a needle thin laser beam shot out of it and burned a small brown spot unto the bright white expensive laminated table top.

"Wait, not that setting.. This one." Mara grumbled as she turned a dial on the side of it and then pushed the button again.

Out shot a strong cone shaped light beam that was more than adequate to light up the cosmonaut's cockpit as she focused it in.

"Go on look!"

Terra frowned but obliged her once again. Then her eyes lit up with wonder.

"Oh, how cute, a tiny little space pilot. I'll bet you he's from Earth! I hear they're really smart.. Smarter than the human pets that we have back on our planet."

Both girls were startled out of their mirth when a loud firm voice came over there communications link next to the navigational array.

"Citizens of the Federation, this is a Titan Empire M class patrol frigate.. You are in violation of quarantine law SS52.2754395B, commonly known as the Terran Conservatoin Act. You are hereby ordered to link your onboard computer to ours as we assume control and board your vessel. You have thirty seconds to comply before we disable your power drives."

Both of their mouths shot open in surprise.. Mara quickly lowered the capsule into her shoulder purse and ran over to the controls and did what was commanded.

Terra quickly poured her drink down the galley sink as if this would get her out of some of the trouble that she was already in... She was absolutely sure that she was never getting ungrounded now. But at least she wasn't in as much trouble as Mara was if that was any consolation

The Federation Chronicles
Olympus Colony
Chapter 3 The Semi Annual Report

Glendoria was about to make her quarterly report to 142 Floor Leader of the Imperial House of Representatives whose name was Garba Gleebo.

Glendoria was filled with stress and dread as the appointed time came closer to just seconds away rather than hours and days.

Pushing back and righting a stray lock of hair that had fallen out of her bun tie, looked at the mirror one more time to make sure her appearance was proper for this most important meeting.
Garba had given her this lofty position due to a favor that she owed to Glendoria's father from a past indiscretion that was covered up by the said family member.

Glendoria knew though, that once her usefulness had run it's course, and a clever way to renege had been secured, Garba would find a way to wash her hands of her and take full control of this colony via a more loyal sycophant who she could already tell was being groomed in the Senate. It would be done with a mixture of dirty money and a democratic process with Garba coming out smelling like a rose.

But that was to be a future battle to fight. For the immediate present she needed to keep ahead of the fox and just survive this video conference.

Suddenly a beeping sound indicated that Garba was in the que and the screen lit up to show a middle aged lady with grey streaks flowing through what was left of her dark wavy hair.

The aging politician immediately addressed Glendoria.. "Ahh, Miss Glendoria Artemis, Viceroy of Poseidon satellite Olympus, and chief executive Ecologist for the said satellite, oh how ever are we doing today?"

Before Glendoria could respond as the concern of the question was false to begin with the Floor Leader pressed on.

"And how are my loyal toga wearing Federation citizens behaving these days too?"

Glendoria did not appreciate the slight that Garbo used in the attire that she and the other's wore on this hot and humid planet. So in her best tone of appeasement Glendoria attempted to save face for her and her fellow colonists.

"Now you know Miss Gleebo, I did not choose our cultural theme on this moon. That was decided upon by the very Senate that you are a member of. As they decide the cultural theme of all colonies throughout the Federation.

I was opposed to this attire at first but was won over by the sensibility of it due to the extremely hot days and humid weather that requires cloths that breath as the ancient Roman attire seems to do quite adequately. The Senate has proven wise and practical once again." Glendoria skillfully countered.

Garba smirked at her subordinate's politically correct response.

"Well, I have to admit that the ancient costume that you are wearing with the purple stripe down the front does befit you in any case. You really look like an ancient Goddess in that get up!" Garbo snickered at her own snide remark.

Glendoria winced to the slight as well because there was an embarrassing grain of truth in Garbo's off handed remark that they would need to address... Perhaps an issue that might make her usefulness last a little longer.

"Um on the topic of Goddess.. The people there.."

Garbo cut her off. "Tell me at the end of the report.. For now I need figures as I've got a whole cadre of Generals breathing down my throat with ambitions to spend our profits for wars we haven't even gotten into yet. For the love of the Empress."

The Viceroy dutifully looked down at her data pad and began reading out the figures.. They were mostly good. At least this was on her side.

"The gold mines on Olympus are producing twenty to twenty five pounds per month now. Silver is at 75 pounds. And the tin mines are up to 1500 pounds per month. With the nickel at 65 pounds. The copper output has swelled to 375 pounds with.."

"Just tell me what the Glowberry figures are." Garbo rudely interrupted again.

Glendoria knew that everything hinged on this crop. It was the whole reason for them being there and would be the reason for her replacement too once the desired outcome had been met. This was where the art of deception fenced and embraced truth in order to make desired ends.
Glendoria could be dismissed if she appeared incompetent too so the tight rope she walked on this subject was the cause for many sleepless nights for her. And would require just the right answer... One that appeased just enough to out way the annoyance that it was bound to produce.

"We are up to sixty seven percent of our projected harvesting goals at this point. We will need more humans to push the figure up any further though. We keep losing them at an alarming rate due to over-work, suicides, escapes, and other accidents that have been occurring."

Blaming the humans was her safety valve but it cut both ways. The humans had proven in the past that they alone could pick the Glowberries better than any other race and make the maximum amount of recovery in the minimum amount of time.

Glendoria knew that this was not the way that she wanted to go. She just needed to buy herself more time so that her plans would come to fruition. Plans that would see these human's lot changed for the better and perhaps even emancipated as that word kept sweeping around the various political houses as of late.

Garba frowned and became very serious.

"Ok Glendoria, we will continue the importation of humans to your colony. I will also have Fayaa, our devoted head of security begin euthanizing any humans found to be committing any class 2 offense or higher. Deserters are to be punished and given the same treatment for a second offense. The Empress knows that we are already pilfering all of the breeding farms as it is. Any wild humans caught are brought along too. I suspect before long all of the humans on this side of the galaxy will be working for you my dear."

Now it was Glendoria's chance to make requests.

"With all due respect Miss Gleebo, throwing free bred humans and wilds into the same cases is causing a lot of problems. Problems with fighting and bullying my head Sociologist has reported. More care needs to be implemented in separating them. The breeding farms are making nice obedient humans that are not well equipped for the fierceness of the wild ones. Which brings me to their present living conditions.

They are abhorable. The reconstituted Tolbot arena can't hold many more as their is squaller everywhere. I'd like to request a new settlement for them so that..."

"Request denied. They will make due with the living arrangements that we have made for them , we already went over budget when we made them that silly train car system that you supported. They'll live in high rise apartments if need be before they're getting one more inch of Titan real state." Garba quipped.

Glendoria nodded because she was about to hit the older lady with interesting news again. "Um, to their credit Miss Gleebo, they are adapting to the overcrowding in a most unexpected way...
With the wood and twine that we've been supplying them with, of which we need to triple our supplies of might I add, they've started making second story structures. Mita, one of our anthropologists even found what could pass for a three story apartment the other day. This shows intelligence!" Glendoria smiled hopefully. To which the Floor Leader sneered.

"No, it shows that they can copy Titan structures like a monkey copies the hand actions of a idiot making fun of them at a zoo. Nothing more. But in any case with them making multi storied dwellings that should help with the overcrowding wouldn't you think?"

Glendoria's words had been turned on her once again. But she still had hope that she might gain something, anything for the plight of the humans.

"There is another matter that I need to raise Miss Gleebo..."

"Well go on and spit it out. I haven't got all night you know."

We suspect that they have begun seeing us as deities.. A statue has been built in my image and likeness that even has my named monogrammed upon it. I think that the overworking of them is making them irrational and somewhat delusional. It begs the case that we should cut their hours from twelve down to perhaps six at the most. They already have a hour commute on top of everything else and."

"Did you say that they see you as a Goddess now?"

"Yes Miss Gleebo, and every other Titan that they're coming into contact at this point, which only proves their overworked status. They are forming governments and factions now too. There is wide spread discontent and who could blame them in their overcrowded and overworked conditions of . . "

"My, my, my. Glendoria.. It is not everyday that I get to meet a Goddess!" The Floor Speaker heartily began to laugh keeling to the side with mirth. Glendoria patiently allowed her to have her amusement at her expense and waited to get another word in edgewise.. But it did not come.
"I would think with this interesting development you could use to make them work even more energetically. Any Goddess that I've ever heard of would! This is actually a wonderful development that will see our ability to raise their productivity ten fold if I were to wager. It is only a question of you using it to our advantage. I want them to work more hours now. If only to appease you that is.

I need not remind you how important this crop is... With all of the separatist talk from the Senate buzzing around, our Federation needs all of the finances that it can get and this is a honey pot if we've ever had one. The largest projection crop of the entire Empire at this point! With this boon we might just be able to break away and stop having to suck all of their crazy notions down our throats like poison with such weird ideas as human emancipation.

At the next conference call in three months I want to see our Glowberry production up at least 20 percent. We'll round up even more humans for you. We're already getting them at a pittance of what the breeding farms used to get for them. We've had to threaten asset forfeiture on most all of their facilities too but it doesn't matter because this is more important than any two bit human breeding business.

And yes, we'll even divide them up if it will make you happy. But we need more work from them at this crucial moment in or history. Not less. They are just pests to begin with after all. Like trained rats pulling a sleigh through the snow.. Nothing more. So stop trying to be miss humanitarian and start doing more important things like saving your job and future honey."

Glendoria's last gamble this session had backfired yet again.

"Now if you'll excuse me Goddess Artemis, I must take my leave and gather the proper sacrifices that need to be made in your honor! Lest the omens of good Glowberry fortune dip down below the accepted production values once again! " The vile lady laughed once more as her video image began to fade to black.

But she was not done yet....

Now, another lady was visible on the Floor Speaker's viewing screen who had pale skin, amber colored eyes, and short dark brown hair cut in a bowl style.

"Madam Floor Speaker, an honor and privilege, I have my intelligence reports ready and am ready to turn them over to you." A fake smile of affection washing over her face.

"I'll look at them later Fayaa... It has come to my attention that their are governments forming in that Tolbot stadium amongst the vermin... Perhaps we can get ahead of the curve and start our own faction.. One who worships a Goddess like yourself" Garba grinned.

"Oh, you mean like that statue they're building for the Viceroy?" The security chief said with a knowing smile.

"How about it Fayaa.. Up to the challenge of being worshipped by your own little cult? It might do us a lot of good to get them fighting each other rather than uniting and throwing down their collection baskets."

The security chief smiled again.. "Oh, I've been worshipped by many for less Miss Gleebo."
"Ha, ha, ha, ha! You and me are going to go far Fayaa!"

The Federation Chronicles

Olympus Colony

Chapter 4 Something Expensive




Mara and Terra quietly and meekly sat in the yacht's red velvet textured lounge as a intergalactic peacekeeper went through their things.



The peacekeeper couldn't have been any more than 19 Titan years of age.



Mara knew that she'd find the human and their troubles would double at that point.



The stern faced lady had a light olive skin complexion with long brunette hair tied into a no nonsense looking pony tail.



Her hands fished through the expensive Tirbur purse and circled around the primitive orbital craft. It was very flimsy to the touch. Even thinner than a soda can the peacekeeper noticed as it groaned through her fingers by the actions of her grip.



She was about to show the device and begin further interrogating the young girls when her eyes saw the pink Migigga styling brush. This was a real one. A five thousand credit one that could dye your hair with a swipe through it. It could stylize it in a similar fashion. You could even program in the hair style that you wanted and it would cut your hair perfectly to form every time.



Glancing up at the rich girls the peacekeeper raised both items to equal heights in front of her breasts as she kneeled on the floor in front of them. With a unreadable flat look upon her face and once she knew that she definitely had both of their attentions she slowly lowered the Russian orbital module back into the purse.



She then took the high dollar pink brush and put it in her evidence pouch. She continued to stare directly at both girls to gauge their reactions to what she was about to do.



Mara slowly looked away out through the observation window and nodded her head in full agreement. Terra looked down and nodded too.



A few seconds later the CDR Captain walked into the large luxury lounge and at once spoke to the peacekeeper.



"Chief Petty Officer Volichka. Have you found any contraband?"



Only then did the peacekeeper begin to zip up the purse and hand it back to Mara.



"No Ma’am, nothing other than lip stick and chewing gum. The place looks pretty on the level from what I've been able to observe."



"Good, I'll need a word alone with these two young ladies if you don’t' mind. Tell everyone to head back to the mooring bay. I'll be out shortly."



"Yes Ma’am."



The Petty Officer smiled and winked to the girls and walked out towards the upper deck.



"Hello ladies, Ms. Yavaela, would you do me the kind favor of following my Officer to the mooring bay while I have a chat with your friend?




Terra didn’t' need to be told twice by this tall and intimidating officer. She got up fast and almost ran to the lift.



"Miss Mara Samara... Daughter of the Deputy Minister of Federation Agriculture. How are you this evening?"



Mara continued to look down at her vac boots. "Fine Ma’am."



"Mara, we have a problem here. A big problem.. An intergalactic problem. Now I've met your father before and he's a rather reasonable man. Perhaps if I had a talk with him over your personal encrypted line we might be able to smooth this over and see to it that you don't get into too much trouble here.



Because as it is, the common protocol in these situations is to impound the violating vessel for no less than a cosmic year. And a fine of no less than two hundred thousand credits.



But your father is a reasonable man. Perhaps he can persuade me not to file this report in a way that might not ruin the rest of your life."



Mara needed no more coaxing. "Ok Officer."



"Call me Sandrae."



"Yes officer Sandrae. I can take you right to the flight controls and get you on that line right now if you like."



The officer took the liberty of lifting the young girl's chin to face her eyes.



Mara could swear she was looking into the face of Lucifer herself when she saw the lady’s evil grin.



"By all means young lady.. Lead the way."



Mara gathered up her purse and set out to the bridge with the tall officer in tow.



************



A slightly past middle aged man with distinguished looks and a full styled shock of grey hair appeared on the screen of the secured channel looking a bit surprised.



"Mara, is everything alright? Where's my yacht?"



"Daddy it's me, I'm in a bit of trouble. I snuck out the yacht and put in the wrong jump coordinates and now a Federation galactic patrol officer would like to talk to you.. I'm sorry... I was just trying to train and better my skills at flight and all"



Mara felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. Then nodded, got up and left the cockpit leaving the two adults to intrigue.



"Mr. Samara.. Sandrae here. We haven't seen each other since the one hundredth floor ball benefit on Vorishia half a cosmic year ago."



Mr. Samara's face went from curiosity to dread. He knew where this conversation was going to go but also knew that the Captain of the Frigate that now had custody of his daughter, her friend, and his yacht was speaking from the high ground of legal authority in this instance.



"Yes Officer Moorcock.. How is that lovely wife of yours?"



The Officer coughed. "We've divorced."



"Oh sorry to hear that Officer Moorcock. Almost as sorry to hear that my daughter has gotten herself into another tight one.. Let’s cut to the chase here. I know that this is not a courtesy call. Nor an attempt to ask me out on a date.. .. Now, how much water needs to be pored over the rough rocks in order to smooth them down enough to make this discreetly go away?"



"I was thinking a figure of five hundred thousand credits my good friend Miles. And with that the reports will show a damaged navigational array along with comments praising your daughter's brave and skillful efforts to save life and property."



Miles Samara sighed...."Done. I'll have my attorney create a off world account within the hour and send you a pin access number over a secured line."



"Outstanding Mr. Samara.. Simply outstanding. We'll even escort them all the way back to Vorishia for you as we wouldn't want there to be any more mishaps today my good friend.



Oh, and how's that other beautiful daughter of yours doing lately over on that moon we call Olympus?"



Miles frowned again.. "Not well, that House Speaker Gleebo keeps sucking blood out her like she does to everyone else within a light year of her presence.



The Frigate Captain frowned... I have no love lost for that lady. "I'd sure like to stick it too her if I had the chance.. I have an old score to pay back to her"



Miles finally smiled.."Oh that could be arranged. Everything shines when it's covered in gold. You of all people should know that, He he."



The two adults smiled together for the first time today.



**************



Mr. Samara was standing in front of his daughter now.



"Me and your step mother have decided that it would be best if you went and lived with your sister for the summer season. You can come back in the fall."



"But dad! I don't want to live on some two bit colony out in the middle of nowhere.. I want to be right here! Did Riva put you up to this?"



"No you did. The last time you got into trouble it cost me seventy five thousand credits.. Now you cost me half a million and that's enough! You need a change of scenery young lady. You need to get out there and work your pretty little hands for a change. Or would you rather go to that boarding school over in Azalia for the next four years?"



Mara looked down at her expensive heels and sighed.



"That's what I thought. Your sister could use some support too. She's out there all by herself and I dare say she's in way over her head.. She could use a crafty extra pair of eyes like you have. Think of it as an adventure. And she's already agreed to look after you so the matter is settled anyway.



I've already had your assistant pack your wardrobe and she is waiting for you at the shuttle."



"Can Terra come and visit me or stay there for the summer too?"



"Yes she can if she wants to.. How do you like that?"



"I don't but what other choice do I have?.. I know I screwed up daddy and cost you a boatload of money. It's just that you're never here and I always have to deal with Riva. I hate her!"



"Well at least you wont have to look at her for while dear.. And you'll be able to help your older sister out which will help me out too. Think of it as you helping me for a change rather than costing me."



Mara fingered her big expensive purse...



"You know I just got home less than an hour ago and now I've got to leave for four months?"



Mara's father offered her a support hug. After the embrace a tearful teenage girl began walking to the back of the estate where the shuttle that would take her away from her social life was waiting.



********



Captain first rank, Yegori Ivanof was jostled awake. The capsule was moving back and forth as if it were tied to a rope and swaying like a pendulum.



After a while there was a lurch and then an impact with something below him that made the trapped astronaut fall onto his behind.. Fortunately, things settled down after that. .. Taking advantage of the break in movement Yegori quickly found the dump funnel attached to the floor and urinated. Better now then all over his capsule he reasoned.



No sooner had he zipped his pressure suit back up did light flood into the port windows. Startled he felt movement as is in an elevator.



When movement had stopped again he sprung up to look out one of the viewport windows only to have an eye that was even larger than his head on the other side staring right into his face.



Yegori yipped and jumped down into his seat. In a blind panic he belted himself down as if this would somehow keep him safe from the monster outside of his re-entry capsule.



**********



"Ohh! He’s awake! I just saw him through his window!" Mara squealed with glee. Bringing her head back up from her older sister’s kitchen bar counter.



"I told you to keep your eyes out of the windows Mara. You were supposed to place that vessel in the sink so that he really couldn’t see anything....



Well that plan is out the window now, I think we should go ahead and try to take him out now Mara. How would you feel if you were cooped up inside of a aluminum can for a couple of days? But remember, we’re going to do it the way that I said that we would. We don’t want to give him a heart attack."



"Oh, alright. But I want to hold him as soon as possible!"



"You’ll get to hold him when I think he’s ready. Remember. I’m the one who has the experience in handling wild ones. And this poor unfortunate Earthling doesn’t even have a frame of reference like they do. I still can’t believe you took him from his planet like that. But at least you did right to call me before you cracked open his ship"



"Glen his ship bounced into the yacht’s window. What were we supposed to do just let him die?"



Glendoria looked at her younger sister with distrust. For all that she knew, the man was having a perfectly nice day until Mara and her friend came along. She initially had every intention of forcing her younger sister to take him back to customs and turn him over to them. But after hearing Mara’s story while her sister was in flight to Olympus and contemplating a little longer on the subject she wondered what would the authorities do? Put him in a foster home? Or worse, a pet store?



Then there was the rumors of Earthlings being just as intelligent as Titan humans were. Glendoria for years prior to coming to the colony had suspected that they were all on the same level if all conditions were equal and they had the same amount of education. Having an open mind and pet humans growing up had proven that to her in the past without the need to have a double blind scientific test as proof..



Looking back to her previous suspicions as compared to what she knew now made her smile knowing that several of the colony’s anthropologist’s pets were covertly teaching the Shanty Town humans how to read, write, and do mathematics. Her and her colleagues had decided early on to try and help the humans and being that several of her team’s highly educated members had already done this forbidden activity with great success with their own pets a golden opportunity presented itself. It was one of th reasons she was happy to take on more humans initially. To improve their lot by whatever covert means necessary and prove the need to free them.



She had even used the educator on her own pet Derrick with spectacular results as the other anthropologists had suggested that she do having so much success with experimenting with the device.



The EDU7522 series 3 machine, or commonly referred to as "the educator", was a device that Titan and Federation children had used for decades. You simply hooked its transmission headband to the machine and turned it on. Then it vibrated sending bio/neurotone virtual images and information via the recipients head temples to the frontal lobes using a focused electromagnetic beam that traveled into the frontal lobe of the brain and branched out over the neural network to reach every necessary corner of the biological computer in question.



This machine sped up the learning process in excess of 12 times the rate that a verbal communication could advance. With even better memory retention to boot.



It was also discovered (although suppressed by royal decree ) that if a human were placed within the center of a working head band that they too would receive the information as if they were wearing the band like a Titan would. It did tire them out a lot more quickly than Titan’s it was learned too. This was theorized to happen because of a much larger electromagnetic wave focusing on their smaller craniums. But Humans seemed to learn just as quickly as the Titan’s did and this was talked about in the scientific circles for years although not released to the public under Federation and Imperial directives.



Still many people experimented once the cat was out of the bag, or just spontaneously experimented on their own pets to find out things that made the Federation and Titan Empire officials somewhat nervous. A news blackout was enforced silencing the would be Titan who requested an interview in order to blab about their personal findings.



Glendoria was fairly confident that this human could be taught the basics in order to function and speak Titan in a matter of months at least. And with the pre-educational background that this human most likely had it might only take weeks. She would be interested to learn about this and report it back to her colleagues at their weekly board meetings.



Now. It was just a question of getting him out of his capsule without killing him. Glendoria and Mara spent a few hours talking about this once Mara had shown her acquisition to her older sister shortly after landing with her personal servant the day before.



Glendoria knew that this would be risky on almost every front. And the longer that they waited the more agitated and uncomfortable their little guest who sat in the primitive orbital vessel would become.



Nodding her head she spoke to her younger sister.



"Ok Mara Let’s try plan A.... Derrick will knock on the door and try to convince him to come out. Use the voice translator so that he will understand us."



"And if he won’t come?" Mara looked back at her sister with an evil grin that did nothing to alleviate Glendoria’s concerns.



Glen looked back at her sister with a very serious gaze.



"Then we’ll go to plan B but we’ll be gentle about it."



"And if he still wont come out?" Mara still grinning. "Can we go to plan C then?."



Glendoria frowned. "Let’s just see what our two first options bring...."

The Federation Chronicles
Olympus Colony

Chapter 5 The Sacrifice




Tyrian and Lydon stood with Mort watching the evangelist say praises to his God's in an annoying nonstop continuous drone. As if his oratory would gain him their divine favor if he just kept talking for another three hours as he had been doing already. An appreciative throng of people of a similar mind set were hanging on his every word too which made Tyrian even more upset... After all, it was he and his entourage who followed the correct pantheon of Gods. Not this bunch of imbeciles.



His Gods were more directly involved.. They were brutal.. They were to be feared. They worshiped Bellona.. The Goddess of War. She required that all of her subjects be given her brand too. Just below the neck in between the shoulder blades.



Tyrian himself was a strong man and very tall by human standards. He was the one of the biggest men in the entire arena and he was certainly formidable in his cleverness and brutality. Those who bowed and succumbed to fear, followed Tyrian.



Tyrian was blessed with good looks too. Long black hair that covered his broad shoulders and brilliant blue eyes to compliment his strong, lean, and chiseled muscles. He was accepted by their Goddess to be the leader of the rest of them. To be the go between. Him and his lieutenants had that honor which he was very proud of.



Tyrian finally uncrossed his arms and pulled a thick and sharp blade from his sheath. Looking over to Mort with a most serious gaze he coaxed the acolyte on.



"Our Goddess has demanded a sacrifice. A sacrifice of the infidel. I have decided to give you the honor of carrying it out brother Mort. Will you bring happiness to her today and earn out mark?"



Mort looked up at the taller man. He himself being a bit on the short and chubby side in spite of the hard work and sparse rations that others were forced to endure as he had excelled at stealing for himself if covert means didn't work, then a good bash on the victim's head would get the job done faster too if need be.



But this was cold blooded murder he was being asked to perform. It was this crowded and unremarkable life of remaining a petty crook, or listening to Tyrian and joining the major leagues.



Mort put out his hand and accepted the knife. "For the Goddess of War." He nervously swore.

"For the Goddess of War." Tyrian and his lieutenants agreed.



"When the deed is done you know where to go. We will hold a feast and you will be the guest of honor. Now to claim your glory and appease the Gods."



Mort nodded and turned towards the open street.

It was one of the very few plaza's that the Shanty Town had and this was only because it was a nexus between three pathways. The evangelist had simply stood upon a plastic fruit container and began spouting his lies as Tyrian had claimed.



Mort slowly walked to his victim keeping his blade hidden within his burlap tunic...

Tyrian and his Lieutenants watched with morbid fascination. A murder carried out in broad daylight. This would strike fear in the infidels like nothing else would.



The evangelist was a man in his mid thirties by all common appearances with close cropped brown hair. He raised his fist in the air and shouted the dictates that their people would live under.



Nobody paid Mort any mind as all of their infatuated eyes were on the orator, making Mort's job all the more easy to perform.



Mort slowly made his way to the front and once there, with no hesitation, plunged the sharpened instrument of death deep into the man's stomach. Then almost as easily as it had slid in, Mort pulled it out and gutted him again. And again.



The evangelist's eyes popped open in shock. Several women screamed in fright. All the humans ran several feet away in terror. Except for the Evangelist who fell down off of the crate he had been standing on. His eyes open but to a dead face.



Mort felt exhilarated. He waved his bloody blade in the air and held it out while he swept it through the air proudly displaying his deed for all to see.



Then.. He was shrouded in darkness as if the sun had been blotted out.



Mort looked up at the sky and gave a blood curdling scream.



"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" ~ Crunch ~



**********



Matilda's communication device beeped. She took it from her golden colored silk belt and opened it up to see her fellow peace officer Mariana on the screen who she knew was standing up on a higher elevation amongst the bleachers..



"What's going on down there Matilda? Do you need some back up?"



Matilda moved her flat leather sandal off of what was left of Mort. A gooey red and yellow puddle in the sandy soil.



"Nah, some human just murdered another human so I stamped him out. There doesn't appear to be any other accomplices so I'm going to go take a lunch break. Just watch over my station while I'm gone ok?. I wont be but about thirty minutes. I'm tired of standing in this direct hot sun anyway. I need a juicer. I'll cover you for yours just as soon as I get back... Over.."





Tyrian and the rest of the men looked on wide eyed at the remains of their aspiring acolyte.



"Come on men, let's go report the success of our mission to the Goddess."



"What about Mort?" Lydon inquired.



"What about him? Let's go." Tyrian sneered.



The other men followed with no further questions. Lydon watched the Titaness lazily walk off as if nothing had even happened. ..





*******



Ping, ping, ping.



Yegori watched in silence... Nothing made sense..



The Earth's upper atmosphere.. Then a Giant hand.. A Giant face.. Darkness.. Movement. Light and another Giant eye peering in at him... And he was no longer in outer space where he should be in a floating casket by now.



But he was here.. And a negroid man was pounding on his door. Peering in just as the Giant eye had done. But he seemed normal sized. He also spoke in Russian which Yegori understood well enough. But how did this man speak it?





"We just want you to come out so we can feed you. And explain where you are now. Believe me when I tell you that you are safe now. It will all start to make sense once you come out.



So why don't you open this door and do just that.?"



Yegori stood and looked into the dark face that was staring right at him.



"You can tell me from where you stand. I am not coming out."

"But how will we feed you.. Do you have any water to drink? How will we get it to you if you don't open the door?"



Yegori looked back within his capsule.. The man had a good point. He had no food left. He had no water left either. His mission was not supposed to go over twelve hours in length. But here he still was, perhaps two days later. Still in his darkened capsule. The batteries to the emergency lighting having gone dead yesterday.



"If you are a good man, and can speak Russian, tell me who the chairman of the Politburo is."



The dark skinned man didn't know what he was talking about. But tried to clear the water some more.



"Look, these Titans have great technology and they are translating my language which is there's too and making it sound the way that your brain needs to hear it. But I do not know your country's history. Or even the planet that you came from. I'm just one human trying to help another one who is acting like a child right now. Come out and let us help you."



Yegori quickly snipped at his would be savior.

"Go away. You are not a good communist if you do not know who the chairman of the Politburo is so you must be a Capitalistic operative. I will never surrender to a Capitalist.. I am sorry my brother. Please go away now and read the Communist Manifesto in your spare time, it will dispel the evil illusion that you are presently living under.."



The dark skinned man looked up and shook his head in the negative. Then he went back down the foot ladder and could not be seen from the viewport anymore.





Then Yegori heard some words that penetrated his capsule and seemed to be coming from above.



"Ok, Derrick couldn't convince him to come out.. It's my turn Glen. I'll be real gentle. I promise. ..



Then a deeper more mature voice seemed to address him directly.



"Man who is in the orbital vessel.. My name in Glendora Samara. Me, my sister, and the man that you just talked to mean you no harm. But in the interests of your safety you must come out. Or at least take the first step of opening your vessel's door.. If for no other reason you need fresh air and water. We detect no water outside of your body so we know that you are out of it.



Also, me and my sister are of much larger size and volume than Earthlings are. We are called Titans and we come from a Federation Planet.. I don't expect you to know what I'm talking about but the size difference between us and you is rather vast and can not be denied. We do not wish to harm you in any way. We want to help you. And if you don't open your door we will be forced to open it for you. Not to be an aggressive act. But as an act of civic responsibility. You need help and we wish to give it to you. Now will you please open your vessel's door?"



Yegori was fairly certain that she was not lying about their size differences. But he still wasn't ready for this.. Quietly he removed the medical box and opened a small door behind it. From there he removed a pistol. It was his last line of defense.. It was a Makarov semi-auto pistol with a ten round clip.



After a few more minutes he heard more thunderous voices from above.



"You'd better stick with the plan Mara. I'm serious here. You make one wrong move and I'm sending you out of here. I probably should do it now anyway knowing you.."



"No Glen, I can follow the plan and be gentle... Ok, watch me."



Yegori took the safety off of the side arm and aimed it at the door.

Then what could only be a finger tip pressed against the viewport of the door.... The tip turning white as it applied more pressure. Another moment later and the thick glass began to groan.. Cracks spread from the center of the circular window out to the round metal reinforced sides.

With one last squeak the glass gave and burst as the finger tip entered the capsule and then doubled over and began to pull on the door which immediately began to buckle under the immense pressure.



Yegori just stared wide mouthed and in partial shock as the door bent in on itself. The pins burst into bent fragments as the door detached from the capsule and was lifted away.



A rush of light and cool fresh air came in immediately.



Mara twirled the capsule door around her pinky tip that had dislodged it.

"Hey Glen do you think I could make a cute ear ring out of this door? He, he, he."



Mara was giggling like a little girl pleased with her fashion accessory idea.



Glendoria put her hand on Mara's shoulder and tried to quiet her in a hushed tone.



"Shhh.. Be quiet Mara. Let him adjust to what just happened and go sit over on the couch while I talk to him."



Mara shrugged her discontent and took her capsule door with her in order to fiddle with it some. Testing it's flimsy strength once she sat down again, it bent in any direction that her finger tips attempted to move it as if it were made of aluminum foil.



"Sir, we have set some water outside of your craft and a box of sand in case you need to relieve yourself. We have also put some food on the table below as well.



I apologize about damaging your craft but you gave us no other option and we are not going to allow you to harm yourself while you are in our company. So take some time and when you are ready, come out and enjoy the provisions we have provided for you. After that perhaps you will be more in the mood to talk with us."



Glendoria walked back over to her younger sister and sat next to her.



"I have to go to work now Tara. But you remember the procedures we talked about earlier and I expect you to follow them. I'll be back after my shift is over. Glendoria looked away thoughtfully for a moment though and then thought better of things.





In fact, you're coming with me. Mir can unpack your things and get you settled in. There's a nice fish bar near the administration building that we can get you something to eat at. Let's go."



"But Glen I want to stay here and see if he comes out."



"Nope! If I know you you're going to find a way to coax him out and then scare the death out of him. We have to treat him differently because he's never met Titans before. How would you feel if some Giant snatched you out of the atmosphere and then took you home to become a pet? Besides this will give him more time to acclimate without us all over top of him."



Mara didn't like the reasoning but it made sense. Then her eyes lit up and she hopped off of the couch on a mission .



"Ok Glen, let me tell Mir where everything goes and I'll be right out and we'll go!



With that Tara bounded out of the room. Glendoria watched her go and wondered what horrible mischief the girl was planning but decided it couldn't have been that bad whatever it was as they were leaving in five minutes regardless of what instructions she was giving her personal assistant. Glendoria reflected on how the fortunes of her family had increased as she was growing up. They could not afford Mir when she was Mara's age but now... Her father even had a trophy wife ever since their mother had divorced him. And her father's ties that he now enjoyed had gotten her this position she had no illusions about.



Glendoria had always wanted to help colonize a planet. Beginning with a moon as in this case was a good start she reasoned. Coming from a very wealthy family had its perks.. But now she was seeing the reality that came along with the adventures that she had naively reasoned it would mostly be... The politics and others who had to be dealt with. She was learning that she was just a cog in a much larger bureaucratic machine. True, should could make changes here and there but the over all direction that things took was still way above her paygrade.



These were depressing facts to have to grapple with she sighed as she made her way to the terrestrial craft that would take her and Tara to work today.



*********



"Ok Mir, this is what I need you to do while we're gone..."



Mir was a very pretty girl just a few Earth years older than Tara. A thin petite frame made her Latino appearance a very cute compliment to her tootsie roll colored eyes to be within the frame of her dark and straight hair that she kept neatly in a braded pony tail much like Tara's twin tails.



Mir was very happy to be the personal assistant of the Mara family. She had her own living quarters and got a very good wage as compensation for her babysitting job which is pretty much how she saw things. She was there to help keep a very rambunctious teenage girl out of trouble due to the fact that her parents were too busy to do the job that she had been hired to for.



Her and Tara being close in age bonded very quickly as Tara was a very nice girl once you got to know her and past her mountains of energy that would see the girl bounce from one problem to the next.. Even creating them if they weren't already there.



Mir was now going off world with her employer's daughter. The idea excited her as she knew, being a short order cook back on Vorishia was never going to afford her such an opportunity. Mr. Samara had given her the opportunity to take a leave for the summer while his errant daughter spent the summer months on Olympus. But take a leave when she could go off world? Not a chance. She instead used the offer for the brief severance to her advantage by convincing the older man that her loyalties lied with his family at this point and wouldn't dream of leaving the poor girl all alone on a far flung planetoid thereby pleasing her employer all the more.



So now she stood after putting away the mountains of cloths before Tara who had the very mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she was given a story of the special help and assistance that her and Glendoria needed. She was even given a quick cover story too in case things went wrong. Such was the quick thinking of the devious girl who she was to try and look after during their stay on this moon.


Mir accepted the story and agreed to help Mara while the two girls were out. She didn't think the task given to her would be that difficult anyway.

The Federation Chronicles

Olympus Colony

Chapter 8 Plan C







"I'll put 50 credits on my little champion." Smiled the beautiful blonde woman in the military uniform.
 
 
 
 
 
Fayaa frowned... That only left her the three other humans and they looked a bit scared and malnourished.
 
 
 
The odds were 2 to one in favor of Ilsa's champion even with him being outnumbered like he was.
 

 
 
Fayaa was here to talk more than anything else so if it cost her fifty credits to do it, so what.
 
 
 
 
"Ok, fifty on the scrawny rodents, who are most likely to lose anyway.... One of these days Ilsa, I'm going to have a champion who will beat yours to a pulp and we'll see whose smiling then."





Ilsa wasn't worried though.. "Well, it's been over a year since you've had anyone even close to being able to challenge my little stud so I think I can just keep grinning at you for now. He, he. By the way, nice toga Fayaa!"




Fayaa wasn't happy with the crack and countered.






"Oh we can't all have the luxury of being in the Empresses armed forces like you are. Some of us civilians must wear what the Federation requires us to. Besides, I see those sweat rings in your arm pits.. You can't be that comfortable now are you really?" The security chief smiled.




"Oh shut up Fayaa, your just jealous because I get to look normal and you have to play the historical role of ancient Titans.. I suppose it might look nice at a dinner ball but that charm must wear off eventually."




Fayaa continued to tease.




"Ohh, but I'm not sweating right now, now am I? Ha, ha, ha."




Ilsa felt a tugging at her jacket sleeve and looked down to her daughter.. No more than just over a Titan year in age. With blond pigtails and a virtual look alike albeit in smaller form of her mother.






"Mom, can I play with Targ after he bashes the humans heads in?" The girl smiled menacingly with hopeful anticipation up at her mother.





"Just go get a human or two from the plantation and use them as dolls like you normally do Rhoda.. Targ is too vauluable honey poo. Besides, you already have an Orc in your right hand, remember? Now stop pestering me so that we can watch our warrior win."




Rhoda sulked and took her frustration out on a pet Orc already stuffed within her fleshy fist who she had been occupying her bored time with, teasing it as the grown ups were speaking to each other.






The Orc looked up in fright having been in this position where Rhoda didn’t get her way before. Immobilized by the thick soft digits that restrained him. Her other hand moved towards him with a middle finger bend back over her thumb like a spring loaded dart straining for release and edging closer to his face.





The Orc already had one broken fang and bruises on his face from previous abuses and could only squirm and yipe as the cocked middle finger came closer to his head.






"Bad little Dorgi. Bad, bad. And bad little Orcs get punished"





With that childish chiding she let the potential energy that was stored up in her cocked finger loose by flicking him in his skull knocking his lights out in the process, like a cruel child would do to an insect of torture, and then stuffing his unconscious form into her pocket in order to watch the main event with her mother. Dorgi the Orc being quickly forgotten as her excited attention was drawn to the event below her and her mother.





The two older ladies turned their attention briefly to the arena ring where the contestants were preparing for battle.






Ilsa's champion was a thick muscled Orc who relished his job and trained for the blood sport constantly. A true professional gladiator.






The other three humans had been grabbed at random from the plantation and delivered to today's festivities.





They had each been given a rounded shield. With each having short thrusting swords and nothing more.






Ilsa's champion had real armor covering his head, chest, back, shins, and arms. His long yellow tusks protruding menacingly from the visor of his face plate.






The humans were out classed from the start. They were each a head shorter and half his mass at that and not trained to gladiatorial combat.






So the champion was able to show off for Ilsa, Fayaa, and the other well to do Titans who had placed their bets for the event.





Three concentric rings of bleachers were filled with the Titans who had come to gamble on the blood sport.




There had been other events prior to this main one as well, like humans against Shaars and humans against Shiliths always with disastrous consequences for the humans involved.






But the highest volume of betting always came down to the brutal Orcs against the humans with the humans seldom gaining the upper hand against the larger and more aggressive species of humanoids.





And Ilsa had her prized champion, Karg. Undefeated even amongst the other Orcs that they threw at him who was now setting about his craft, attacking the scared humans who had no choice but to fight for their lives or die at the end of his spiked mace that was swung at them with a terrible force now.





It was not long before the first human's head was smashed into pieces. An uproar from the entertained crowd made it difficult for the two woman to communicate.






"Gleebo wants us to organize against the humans before they can organize against us. So I need you to start training your Orcs in urban warfare, because we can stomp all of the crowds that we see, but somebody will still have to drive them out of their hovels when push comes to shove.





I'll get some Educators to the plantation to help you with the training."






Ilsa was nonplused...






"I'll need time Fayaa. The Orcs, though aggressive enough to carry out any type of interdiction that you may need are slow learners. It will take me several weeks to get them organized into a military force, rather than the guards that they presently function as. Goddess knows it took me over a year just to keep them from eating them on site"





"Well the humans are organizing Ilsa." Spoke Fayaa as she distractedly watched Karg smash another human into a bloody mess in the arena, causing another annoyingly loud round of cheers.




"I'm doing what I can to counter it but the majority are insisting upon worshiping Glendoria's staff and that gives our Viceroy a bigger say in what happens here then you might have realized. If we lose the workforce to them then we'll have to concede to their crazy demands which means that their production levels will fall which will in turn mean a lot of our jobs.. Including yours my dear friend.






They even have the crazy idea that the humans should enjoy equal status to Titans! Whatever will we do then? Cater to their every beck and call? Give them wages and grow them ectoberries to eat on Soldays?"






Ilsa thought deeply for a moment.... "What if I also trained a police force to take some of the burden off of your peacekeepers and then we could intimidate them even more that way. Our police force will be used as an instrument of terror to keep them in line! They are already half trained to police as it is over at the plantation."





Fayaa liked the idea and nodded in agreement. "Ok, that could work in the short term, our anthropologist ladies will get a thrill out of studying your guards I'm sure, but we'll need you to get that urban strike force trained too just in case things take a turn for the worse."






Both women evilly smiled to one another as the crowd of Titans cheered for the final time as the last human succumbed to the wounds that Karg had delivered to.





Ilsa smiled again as she held out her hand to receive the credits that Fayaa now owed her.









*************








Mir regarded the fragile metal object that Mara had warned her about. She would follow her instructions and make her employer grateful.





Going directly to the table she pulled up a chair and sat in front of the silent craft. It was time to be direct and firm.







"Little pet of Mara. You are being disobedient and your master wants you to come out so that she can help you. And if you will not come out. I am going to get you out of there by force if necessary.






So be a good little pet and come out now so that I don't have to scare you with a forceful extraction. ..."






Yegori heard the thunderous ultimatum that rang and vibrated throughout his entire capsule.




He was tired, thirsty, and hungry. And now above all he was scared too.







Gripping his pistol he belted in and waited for the inevitable to happen... Would his capsule keep this new Giantess at bay? He didn't think so after the last one simply tore his door away as if it were a chewing gum wrapper.






He had ten rounds. He figured he'd fire one into the beings finger to test if it had any effect. If so, he'd fire some more at her. If not, he'd simply hide it and use it again in the future if a situation warranted it. It was all the options that he was left with at this point...






Mir impatiently drummed her fingers on the laminated counter.. This was going to probably go down the hard way. But he was just a pet after all. Or at least that's what Mara had told her that he was. And if this was true then she'd have to do this in a way that caused him the least amount of physical trauma....






Then, an idea hit her.... A splendid idea indeed.





Mir ran back to her personal quarters and dug something out of her personal travel bag....




In a small bag was a recreational plant that she liked to smoke from time to time. It was called Ganja. .. It had a very pungent sweet odor to it. And it created a lot of smoke when lit. "This would do the trick indeed!" She smiled.







Grabbing a utility pen, some rolling papers, and small portion of the of the dried plant, she quickly rolled up a cigarette and ran back into the living room where the bar style table that connected it to the kitchen was. Of which Yegori's capsule presently remained.






Yegori had the gun pointed at the hole that used to be a door and waited for his chance to see if the Giantess would bleed.






But instead of fingers snaking their way into the opening a big cloud of smoke entered instead... It was so thick that he couldn't even see. He quickly deduced that he'd need his emergency oxygen mask but he was belted into his seat as he didn't expect this type of attack.







But unbelt he would have to do and did. Putting his side arm behind his back upon the seat he tried to find through a strong fit of coughs the top part of the capsule. But as he climbed he noticed that there was absolutely no air near the top and would not make it without passing out. In fact the densest concentration of smoke had already floated up to that area of the capsule.






He would need to stick his head out of the opening and get a clean whiff of air in order to make another go at it. .. By the time his head was leaning out of the opening he was being inundated with a fresh puff of very thick smoke causing him to almost pass out from the lack of oxygen.






Now He would need to climb out in order to find fresh air. But something else was happening too. Through the thick sweetly odor he noticed that his state of mind was quickly beginning to distort. His worries faded and his lips turned upwards into a smile as he started to climb down the service ladder looking for that all important breath of fresh air.






A few steps down and he was hit with another blast of the noxious smoke.







*****************












Mir was having fun getting the errant pet stoned. Filling his capsule up with smoke she knew it was only a matter of time before it flushed him right out of there which it did. When she saw his tiny little head poke out she simply hit him with another blast not daring to inhale until her task was accomplished.






Once he climbed out and started down the ladder looking to escape her narcotic puffs of smoke she giggled with glee as she decided to blast him again.. This was getting fun! She wondered how far he would make it before he was too stoned to even function. Making her job a hell of a lot easier.







Letting him get to the base of the ladder where his boots made contact with the linoleum service she hit him with another blast from her lips sealing his fate.






It was with this last blast that he fell to his hands and knees trying desperately to breath in fresh air. To which she took pity and allowed him to do so as she didn't want to suffocate him after all.






When he had somewhat regained his bearings and was looking around Mir hit him with a final blast of smoke through her giggles sending him into another row of coughing fits.






By the time the smoke had dispersed, Yegori was completely incapacitated.




All that he could do was sit upon his behind and slowly look around him in a dazed fashion.






"Best damned Ganja money can buy, huh little man?" Mir said aloud smiling at her victory.






It was then just a simple matter of gently pinching him up with her middle finger and thumb about his ribs to lift him to her face and regard him.






With a smile of victory she moved the tiny dazed cosmonaut over to the glass pet case and decided to remove his clothing. After all, domesticated pets usually didn't wear them anyway. And Mir decided that whatever game of dress up he had been playing with Mara was long since over once he had stubbornly refused to leave the strange old fashioned looking capsule as Mara had explained.






So, after tearing his pressure suit and boots away from his body she gently lowered the nonresistant and drugged cosmonaut down upon the bed within. She even placed and rolled the blanket over him before putting the top back on the case.






"Have a nice evening little pet. I wont even charge you for the half a joint that I just used on you, he, he, he."





Next Mir went to the utility closet and activated a cleaning machine of a brand that she was well acquainted with and began removing all trace of the pungent odor from the room. Once done with that small task she decided to retire to her own personal quarters and finish the rest of her joint.






Yegori could only lay on the bed and stare into the room with its human sized accommodations. There was a large black flat screen against the wall. A toilet, shower pad, sink, and a box on the far side that looked like some sort of advanced climate control that had what appeared to be some type of aluminum duct that went through the glass and outside, perhaps to draw fresh air or vent it to.






But soon, his clouded mind drifted off into another peaceful sleep.