embarrassment.
“Like Cari, they were all smart
enough to save themselves. I only helped out when I could.” Jess said quietly.
“I couldn’t have survived my
injuries without you Jess. Amun can vouch for that. I would have died without
you. You did save my life and most likely a lot of others.” Cari said
reassuringly.
“How did they know we were there to
get you?” Niklosi asked the question that had been eating at him.
“They detected your tracking device
not long after we had left. After they had contacted their commander, they
decided to leave it and let you track them, so that they could track you while
they set up a trap.” Jess responded honestly.
“They’ve had the ability to contact
their home world all this time?” Scaden asked.
“I only know that they have been
able to do it since I’ve been with them. Julou said that they had been able to
since they first crashed here. He was brought in from their home world not long
after they realized the extent of the resources on the planet.”
“Who is Julou?” Amun asked between
gritted teeth. He didn't like the way her voice softened when she spoke the
name.
“Julou V’Dua is a captive from the
planet Katavai. He was a mineral specialist on his planet, and the Relians have
used his knowledge to help them on planets with heavy minerals. Because they
think he no longer fights his service to them and has sworn his allegiance,
they allow him into their confidence.”
“He’s one of the things I need to
tell you about. Julou and many other captives from other planets have staged a
revolt on Earth. They have been working against the Relians in secret to keep
them from seizing control of the planet. It’s Julou and a few others that
helped me get the other girls to safety. They have also been able to get others
released from other camps as well.”
“They would like to open a dialog
with you in the hopes of forming an alliance to remove the Relians from the
planet and free themselves from their enslavement.”
“How do you know this child?” Ivint
pondered the implications of having an established ally on the planet to help
them.
“Julou and the others had been planning
this for a long time. The Relians knew that sooner, or later you’d end up back
on the planet. Either because of their development or because you’d realize you
had survivors. They had hoped to have control by then, but Julou and the others
have been sabotaging their efforts for a long time.”
“Once you showed up and Cari was
rescued; he knew it was only a matter of time before you came for me or to
destroy them. So he and the others planned for me to be taken and to try to set
up a meeting.”
“How the hell were you supposed to
do that with your throat cut and bleeding to death?” Amun growled angrily while
he clenched his fists in rage.
“No, I wasn’t supposed to die. We
studied a medical book Julou found to make sure he didn’t kill me. He was only
trying to make it look real enough that they wouldn’t have someone else do it
or come looking for me. They already planned to kill me; it just worked in
their favor to do it in front of you to try to scare you into leaving. It also
gave Julou a chance to get me out of there.”
Amun was surprised when Jess
flashed angry eyes at him as she defended her tormentor. He’d heard of this
particular attachment captives got with their abductors but had never seen it
before now. Even the Earth people had a name for it… Stockholm syndrome.
“So he wasn’t trying to kill you,
but he almost did? That beast who dragged you out of the barn that day?” Cari
asked incredulous that Jess would defend that pig.
“He only did that to protect me! He
would hide me where he slept and keep me warm and safe from the others. The
only time I was ever hurt was when he wasn’t there to stop it. If it wasn’t for
his help, the other girls could never have escaped. He and the others like him
have been trying to help us for years.
“Like Cari, they were all smart
enough to save themselves. I only helped out when I could.” Jess said quietly.
“I couldn’t have survived my
injuries without you Jess. Amun can vouch for that. I would have died without
you. You did save my life and most likely a lot of others.” Cari said
reassuringly.
“How did they know we were there to
get you?” Niklosi asked the question that had been eating at him.
“They detected your tracking device
not long after we had left. After they had contacted their commander, they
decided to leave it and let you track them, so that they could track you while
they set up a trap.” Jess responded honestly.
“They’ve had the ability to contact
their home world all this time?” Scaden asked.
“I only know that they have been
able to do it since I’ve been with them. Julou said that they had been able to
since they first crashed here. He was brought in from their home world not long
after they realized the extent of the resources on the planet.”
“Who is Julou?” Amun asked between
gritted teeth. He didn't like the way her voice softened when she spoke the
name.
“Julou V’Dua is a captive from the
planet Katavai. He was a mineral specialist on his planet, and the Relians have
used his knowledge to help them on planets with heavy minerals. Because they
think he no longer fights his service to them and has sworn his allegiance,
they allow him into their confidence.”
“He’s one of the things I need to
tell you about. Julou and many other captives from other planets have staged a
revolt on Earth. They have been working against the Relians in secret to keep
them from seizing control of the planet. It’s Julou and a few others that
helped me get the other girls to safety. They have also been able to get others
released from other camps as well.”
“They would like to open a dialog
with you in the hopes of forming an alliance to remove the Relians from the
planet and free themselves from their enslavement.”
“How do you know this child?” Ivint
pondered the implications of having an established ally on the planet to help
them.
“Julou and the others had been planning
this for a long time. The Relians knew that sooner, or later you’d end up back
on the planet. Either because of their development or because you’d realize you
had survivors. They had hoped to have control by then, but Julou and the others
have been sabotaging their efforts for a long time.”
“Once you showed up and Cari was
rescued; he knew it was only a matter of time before you came for me or to
destroy them. So he and the others planned for me to be taken and to try to set
up a meeting.”
“How the hell were you supposed to
do that with your throat cut and bleeding to death?” Amun growled angrily while
he clenched his fists in rage.
“No, I wasn’t supposed to die. We
studied a medical book Julou found to make sure he didn’t kill me. He was only
trying to make it look real enough that they wouldn’t have someone else do it
or come looking for me. They already planned to kill me; it just worked in
their favor to do it in front of you to try to scare you into leaving. It also
gave Julou a chance to get me out of there.”
Amun was surprised when Jess
flashed angry eyes at him as she defended her tormentor. He’d heard of this
particular attachment captives got with their abductors but had never seen it
before now. Even the Earth people had a name for it… Stockholm syndrome.
“So he wasn’t trying to kill you,
but he almost did? That beast who dragged you out of the barn that day?” Cari
asked incredulous that Jess would defend that pig.
“He only did that to protect me! He
would hide me where he slept and keep me warm and safe from the others. The
only time I was ever hurt was when he wasn’t there to stop it. If it wasn’t for
his help, the other girls could never have escaped. He and the others like him
have been trying to help us for years.
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