A gay story: The Human Bearer Ch. 30 The Human Bearer
30.
As he had suspected, the elevator voice still didn’t seem to care that he wasn’t a strapping 7-footer with half of his body covered in snake skin, so the way down was uneventful. The eerie silence wasn’t so eerie anymore, and Riordan took pride in feeling like he was in charge of things for a change. So much information had been revealed to him lately, and now he had someone else he could use to trade ideas. Florent was, after all, a powerful empath, whether he was aware of his powers or not, and that meant that he might have overheard things that could be used to make sense of it all.
He hurried towards Florent’s cell without hesitation. Xana appeared to approve his actions even without saying anything, and that gave him a giddy feeling of empowerment. Kyle rolled right behind him and knowing that he had a partner in crime to rely on was assurance in itself.
Florent was already on his feet as he must have heard him approaching. His pretty eyes were wild and, even without knowing him well, Riordan could tell that there was a new kind of tension making his shoulders hunch and his gaze to dart sideways as if he was expecting a surprise attack.
“Don’t be spooked, man, it’s just me,” Riordan said and walked closer to the invisible wall of death holding Florent in his cell.
“Riordan, you came again,” Florent said and moved towards him, too. He stopped only inches away, his mind probably tortured already by the knowledge that a wrong step could bring him a horrible death.
“I couldn’t stay away. In case you didn’t know it already, I like trouble.” He tried to make light of their conversation, as a sensation of uneasiness crept up his spine. Florent was unnerving him with all those anxious glances he was throwing around, although it was only the two of them there.
Florent leaned forward as if he was trying to communicate with him in a conspiratorial manner. “Then you should know that trouble is heading our way.”
“What trouble?” Riordan knew he had to trust his gut because that part of him rarely failed if ever.
“My former master… he’s heading here. He wants to launch an attack on Tu’lek.”
“Shit, are you sure?” Riordan could sense his ears starting to ring. It was as if a myriad of conversations were taking place, but just outside how much his sense of hearing could stretch. Focusing on it served only to give him a major headache. He caught his temples between his forefingers and groaned.
Florent took a step back. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to make you hear them, but it can be painful.”
“What? For real? Man, I heard you’re a badass empath, but this is out of this world. Any world.”
Florent crouched and grabbed his head in his hands. “I’m trying to tell him but he won’t listen,” he lamented and rocked his body as if he was trying to offer himself a child’s comfort.
“By he, you mean the high commander? Yeah, Kanto is a stubborn mofo,” Riordan said and crouched so that he could be on the same level with the other. “Hey, talk to me. Tell me everything.”
“But if you don’t hear them yourself, how are you going to believe me?”
“I believe you anyway. I’m not one of these Xenos. Between you and me, they’re full of themselves, and that doesn’t always work to their advantage. So, just put it into words. By the way, the fact that you have mindreading resistance is really awesome.”
Florent stopped his rocking and looked at him. “It has only brought me problems. I’m here, in this cell, because the high commander doesn’t believe any of the information he’s extracted from me so far. Information I’ve willingly offered. He doesn’t believe a word I’m saying… or thinking.”
“That sucks balls, man. Okay, now tell me everything you know. I’m going to take it to the powers that be. They might not like you much but I do. So, spill the beans. Leave nothing out.”
Florent gave him an uneasy look. “You should be caring about your egg right now, Riordan.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve heard it all before. The problem is that if those immortal assholes are taking over this ship, there might not be an egg for me to care about. I might be dead, along with everyone else.”
“You’re not mincing words, are you, Riordan?”
“Never been known for it, no. Where are they? How fast are they approaching?”
“Wait, did you say… immortal?” Florent stared at him, looking confused and scared.
“That’s something I heard recently. Your former owner and others must have gotten into their heads that if they reach Tanez first, they can become immortal and will need no bearers.”
Florent’s face moved in such a way that Riordan feared that he was starting to cry. That didn’t happen, though. “I suppose that is why… my master always cared to tell me what a waste of space I was. I couldn’t understand why he hated me so much. But why did he want a bearer in the first place?”
“There will be a time and place for us to explore all the theories that are running amok in my head, but here and now aren’t those. Come on, tell me what your super brain caught from our enemies.”
Florent took a deep breath and appeared to struggle to collect himself. “Gamni Gafilos, my former master, is the high commander of Galatea. Galatea is a warship but also more than that. It is a flagship, which means that there’s an entire group of ships following him.”
Riordan felt his mouth getting dry and tried in vain to swallow the painful ball in his throat. “Where the fuck did they keep all these ships? Oh, fuck, don’t tell me. While the planet got flooded, they were in space, not giving a fuck.”
Florent nodded. “And now they’re heading here. They want to take over Tu’lek.”
“Fuck this shit,” Riordan mumbled under his breath. “And Kanto thinks it a great idea not to listen to you, given the circumstances? He can’t be that blind.”
“I don’t know what he’s thinking, but all I know is… his hate,” Florent said slowly. He buried his head in his hands again. “And he’s right, because–” He stopped and began sniffling.
“What do you mean, he’s right? Man, don’t cry. I have no idea what to do when someone turns on the waterworks.”
Florent appeared to collect himself. “He’s right because,” he said and swallowed audibly, “above all else, Gamni Gafilos is coming for me.”
“What? Why? Don’t tell me he’s that addicted to your sweet ass.”
The energetic shake of the head convinced him that wasn’t the case. “No, he suspects that I’m spilling all his secrets to the Xenos in charge of Tu’lek right now. As if I had any secrets to spill.” The rocking started again. “It’s because on me that he found Tu’lek. He’s reaching for me,” Florent said and began shivering, “like a hand squeezing my insides. And my mind,” he added, pressing so hard against his skull as if he wanted to crush it, “sinks into dark, dark water, and I can’t–” His breath hitched and the shivering got only more intense.
“Shit,” Riordan muttered. “Hey, man, listen to me.” He shouted the words to get Florent’s attention. “Hey!”
Finally, Florent seemed to pull himself out of the despair gripping him and looked up. His eyes were swimming in tears.
“I will convince these guys. I will tell them what you know.”
“And why would they believe you? Don’t do it, Riordan. You’re only putting yourself at risk.”
“We’re all at risk, the way I see it. Now, it’s very important that you give me all the details you know. How far are they from us? Can you tell?”
“It could be anywhere between tomorrow and a week. I can’t tell for sure. Gamni said something, right into my brain. He said,” Florent had to stop for a moment, “that soon, he’s going to get his hands on me, and then I’ll know what real suffering is. He’ll kill me slowly. He’ll torture me until I wish for death, and not even then will he give it to me.”
“Fuck. Okay, it looks to me like there’s no time to waste. Tell me more. Tell me everything you know. Not about how that fucker keeps threatening you. You can leave that out.”
“I can’t know for sure how many ships are, or how many Xenos. Their group wasn’t that numerous. I don’t know why, in the light of what you told me about them wanting to become immortal.”
“Well, maybe not all Xenos are such power-hungry assholes that the entire universe is not enough for them. We’ll think about that another time. Anything else we could use?”
“They have a weakness.” Resolve lit Florent’s face. “Gamni doesn’t think I can tell, but I can. As he pulled me to him to threaten me, I too probed his mind.”
“Awesome. And what did you find out?”
“Their warships… they’re not meant to travel across the universe to Tanez. They don’t know the exact location of the planet — none of them seem to know it — which means that they might believe Tu’lek to be their ticket there.”
“Hmm, so their clock is ticking. Good to know. Desperate assholes tend to make mistakes, right? Plus, this hate he has for you, that’s not normal, right? They might think themselves superior, these Xenos, but they’re not the kind to have this kind of feelings.”
Florent nodded. “I know what you mean. I was surprised myself. Especially since–”
“Since–” Riordan encouraged him to continue.
“He seemed to enjoy having sex with me,” Florent said quickly. “At first, I thought that he was just surly and annoyed by everything around him, me included. I even entertained the idea that he would come to like me in due time. He put his egg in me so fast. I was so silly… until I began overhearing him. And then, I realized that he truly hated me, and I was just fooling myself.”
“What an asshole. Whatever goes through his head is not our problem unless he thinks things that concern us, like taking over Tu’lek. When did you start hearing him?”
“I have no idea of how time works anymore. But it happened a while after you came here, and it seems like only hours have passed between that and now.”
“And Kanto saw you and you talked to him.”
“Yes. I couldn’t convince him. He still believes I’m trying to lie to him, as if that was possible.”
Another wave of uneasiness moved over Florent’s face. Riordan caught it right away. “Has anything else happened?”
Florent looked away. “I can’t… I mean, I shouldn’t.”
“We’re here, we’re supposed to get ready for an attack, so come on, there’s no need to be shy.”
“He made the charged wall dropped.” Florent waved his hand at the invisible barrier between them. “And he… held me down.”
“Did he fuck you?” Riordan couldn’t believe it. That Kanto was full of surprises.
“He only used his tail. And did it so… coldly. His mind wrapped around mine. I wanted to resist because the way he did it was so like Gamni’s but I couldn’t. I was frightened. He didn’t stop until he made me come all over the floor. And then he said something strange. He said,” Florent munched on his lower lip, trying to get his thoughts in order, “that he didn’t think it would work anyway.”
“What exactly?”
Florent shook his head. “I don’t know. I was so in shock that I didn’t try to get into his thoughts. I’m sorry. I have no idea what he meant by it.”
“We’ll figure it all out. Now, I’m really sorry that I have to leave you alone, but I need to warn them not to be stupid. They should get ready. Now, I know you’re not an expert or anything, but do you believe Tu’lek is in any shape to withstand an attack from Gamni’s fleet?”
Florent shrugged. “I don’t know. But it seems to me that Gamni doesn’t believe that it’s going to be an easy battle. He’s also desperate to get his hands on me, to prevent me from warning everyone and tell his secrets, whatever he believes those to be. I wish I could tell you more.”
“It’s good enough,” Riordan said. “We so need to get you out of this cell. And you know what? Here’s my promise. I’m going to run my mouth and I’m going to yell at them if that’s what it takes so that they understand that you’re not the enemy.”
Florent offered his a look full of gratitude. “For all that’s worth, Riordan, even if everything… fails, just know that I appreciate what you’re doing for me, a stranger. No one on Xeno cared about me. They saw me as nothing but this murderer, a murderer of Xenolites that shouldn’t be allowed to live.”
“And yet you were allowed to live. That goes to show that maybe Marn at least has half a head working. I’m telling you. They didn’t execute you because they knew it would be wrong. And as much as their notions of right and wrong may be different from us, they seem to work.” Riordan moved a bit closer. “You must be important, Florent. That mind resistance of yours makes you special and it’s going to be what saves all our sorry asses.”
***
“Kyle, can you tell me where is Xana? The sooner I get to him, the better.” He could always use his mind to send out a message, but he was suddenly feeling a bit paranoid. If Gamni could send his thoughts of terror to Florent, who was to say that he couldn’t even listen in to the conversations the Xenos on Tu’lek had?
His lack of knowledge in how they were communicating, the minute details of it all, was getting on his nerves, but now wasn’t the time for a crash course on it.
“Master Xana is in a meeting with the high commander and His Royal Chancellor.”
“Okay, that’s actually great, because they all need to hear this.”
“Master Rio, should I warn you that especially the high commander will not see your intervention with good eyes?”
“You should, but it doesn’t mean that I’m going to listen. This shit, it’s big, and there’s no time to waste. I’ll take my chances.”
Kyle didn’t utter another word and just followed him silently on their way to Marn’s quarters. The fact that all the big boys on the ship had that meeting could be a sign that they knew that a huge danger was close. That would make his mission easier, as they must have convinced themselves by now that action had to be taken to protect Tu’lek. The only fly in the ointment was that Riordan didn’t believe in easy.
The guards by Marn’s quarters didn’t look at him, so Riordan stepped in front of the sliding doors waiting for them to open. They remained stubbornly close, so he had to do something. He waved his hand in front of one of the guards. “Hey, do you think you could let me in? His Royal Chancellor is waiting for me.”
The lizard guard moved his head slowly and stared him down with his reptilian gaze. “He is not waiting for you, bearer Riordan Lei.”
“He must have forgotten to tell you,” Riordan said unfazed, trying not to tremble under the scrutiny of those liquid cold eyes. “You know what, I’m going to pop in anyway.”
Both guards moved at the same time, blocking the doors with their massive bodies.
“Really? Not cool. I could tell Xana and have him cut your worm rations or whatever treat you enjoy best.”
Those guys were cold. Riordan took a deep breath and pressed his index fingers against his temples.
Xana, I need to tell you something important.
Riordan, I am in a meeting with His Royal Chancellor. Can’t it wait? Are you giving birth?
No, it’s not that.
Then it can wait.
Xana! Gamni Gafilos is marching an entire fleet of warships our way!
The doors behind the guards opened so abruptly that even the two lizards turned, surprised by it.
“Riordan, step inside,” Marn’s voice could be heard.
Normally, he’d smirk and give those guards the middle finger, but there was no time for that. As soon as he was in, the doors closed behind him just as fast as they opened. And three pissed off Xenos stared him down, a warning that he should stick to the essential.
“How do you know about Gamni Gafilos?” Marn inquired.
“I went downstairs to have a chat with my friend Florent Kasido,” Riordan replied.
For the first time since he had known the Xeno, Marn frowned and appeared taken by surprise. “Counselor, do you care to explain how your bearer came to develop a friendship with the prisoner?” All this time, his eyes didn’t move from Riordan.
Fuck. Now he was getting Xana in hot water with the big kahuna, but what choice did he have? For all he knew, the attack could happen any moment now.
“I have a habit to roam the place. Yeah, I know, bad habit. Kanto reddened my ass for it,” he spoke quickly. “And imagine my surprise when I discovered that you keep an asset like that guy locked in the basement.”
Marn pursed his lips. “While I do find your eccentricities endearing, Riordan, this time I’m disappointed in you.”
Riordan avoided looking at Xana and focused his entire attention on Marn. Even Kanto was keeping his mouth shut in front of him, which meant that His Royal Chancellor was the only guy he needed to convince of the urgency of the situation. “Look, I know it’s wrong, but Florent is a badass empath and can hear that entire fleet approaching.”
“Florent Kasido is a master manipulator, due to his special abilities. He can convince you, a mere Earthian, of anything he wants.”
“To what end?” Riordan asked. “What does he stand to gain from lying to me that his former master is about to attack, ready to take over Tu’lek? Those guys, those terrorists, are at the freaking gates!”
“Riordan, enough!” Xana admonished him. “Such things are beyond your comprehension.”
For fuck’s sake, he needed to phrase this the right way, or his big mouth would only make a bad situation worse. So, Riordan took one deep breath and began again. “With all due respect, Your Excellence, this thing is too big to ignore. There’s a reason why you kept Florent Kasido alive, isn’t it?”
Marn didn’t reply right away, and his nostrils flared. But Riordan noticed, even without looking at them, that both Xana and Kanto were turning their heads towards the big chief with questions of their own.
“He is an excellent empath, as you pointed out,” Marn replied. “But so far, our mind-probing led nowhere in his case.”
“How do you know? He told me everything. Just as he told Kanto!” He pointed at the high commander.
“He’s a liar,” Kanto said haughtily. “As soon as we’re getting close to opening his mind completely, he carefully shuts down all thought processes. What do you call this?”
Riordan remained silent for a moment. What could he say now? And then, he realized what was going on as soon as he remembered how scared Florent was. “I call it,” he said, weighing each word carefully, “that you used fear instead of trust to get anything out of him. I mean, come on, Kanto just fucked the poor guy’s ass with his big ass tail, and that scared him shitless.”
Marn quirked an eyebrow and looked at Kanto. “Is that true, commander?”
“Yes.”
There was some other conversation taking place without words between the Xenos, as Riordan recognized the humming in his brain for what it was. But the messages were scrambled, and he couldn’t make sense of them.
“Counselor, you are free to go. Please take your bearer with you.”
Xana bowed shortly and then grabbed Riordan by the arm.
“Xana,” he whispered.
We’ll talk at home.
Did they believe him? Riordan couldn’t tell.
But–
Riordan, don’t try my patience. I have none left for your disobedience.
Really?
Yes, really.
tbc