Together Forever?

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This entire story was sparked by a simple conversation with a fellow Space Cases fan. “What would happen if Shank found out about the relationship between Radu and Elmira?” Here’s my version of the story which would unfold.

On the Spung killcruiser Pregoli, there exists a deck which few are aware of - and of those who know it, many wish that they had no knowledge of its existence. It is a dark, disagreeable place, where suffering permeates the air to a point where one can almost taste it. The smells of blood and death are constantly present there, and it would seem that no matter how much the walls of the chamber were scrubbed, these terrifying odors could never completely be removed. Hideous instruments unlike any ever seen on Earth peek menacingly from every corner. Horrifying sights are at every turn. But a visitor could endure this place - if they happened to be one of the fortunate few unable to hear.

A horrible pain-filled scream echoes off the walls of the room. As if the delicate nymph Echo did not find it below her dignity to visit this awful place, the scream is instantly repeated almost mockingly. The sounds are made even more horrible by the fact that they are constant; the noise never dies away, always being replenished by new voices.

It was in this room that Elmira crouched at her father’s feet, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Please,” she said in a voice choked with sobs, “don’t hurt him. It’s not his fault - let him go! Whatever you’re planning - punish me instead!” But Shank ignored her heartfelt pleas on behalf of the prisoner - his mind was made up.

“Amu?” he said. A burly guard, Shank’s most loyal advisor, appeared instantly. “Have several of your henchmen ‘escort’ Surrola Elmira to another section of the killcruiser; apparently, she cannot be present for the - accomplishment.” Nodding, Amu grasped her firmly by the arm.

“Come along, Surrola,” he said purposefully. Elmira could tell from his grip that she had no prayer of getting loose. Perhaps once she was out of her father’s sight, there would be some chance of getting a message to the others . . . Her heart sank as she heard her father’s next words.

“Amu,” Warlord Shank said commandingly, “you will remain with her. Only leave her at my personal request.” Amu nodded, taking a tighter grip on her arm. Another rugged guard was on her other side. Elmira closed her eyes, but not before she saw two guards hauling in a limp form.

As he took her out, Elmira froze. A scream was ripping through the air - a scream that Elmira realized with horror was her own name. The world swirled around her, and as she plummeted toward the ground, the events of the past few hours flashed through her brain . . .

Radu woke up with a start. No, it couldn’t be . . . he thought, shaking his head. For a moment, he’d been sure he had heard - wait! There it was again! Definitely Elmira’s voice. “ - as quickly as you can. Please, hurry!” After listening for a few seconds to the static that accompanied the end of a message, Radu carefully screened out the command post, bringing back into focus the quiet sounds of his sleeping bunkmates. I’d better go check this out, he realized suddenly. Elmira sounds like she’s in trouble!

As he approached the command post, Radu heard voices - Thelma, and the commander. He wasn’t listening closely to what they were saying, but unexpectedly, he caught a phrase that made him snap to attention. “ . . . better not tell him - he’d worry. You know how close they are . . . ” The commander broke off in mid-sentence as Radu burst in.

“What happened?” he asked anxiously. Seeing the reluctant look on the commander’s face, he pressed on. “Tell me! What’s wrong?”

With obvious misgivings, Goddard nodded to Thelma, who reached for the button to replay the message. Radu drew in his breath sharply as Elmira’s face appeared on the screen. She looked unhealthy - there were dark shadows under her eyes, and she seemed weak. “Christa, I regret that after not having contacted you for months, I must come to you like this,” she began, “but I desperately need your help. Warlord Shank is forcing me to use my powers to see the outcome of his battles, and I’ve been at work day and night for weeks. I’m almost out of strength, but Shank won’t listen to me! If it’s possible for me to stay on the Christa, for only a few days, I would be able to recuperate. I know this would be a great risk for you, but I’m asking you to try, please! If at all possible, send a signal to me so I can give you more details - I have a transmitter in my quarters that sends out and receives signals independently from the main killcruiser communications systems. Try to respond as quickly as you can. Please, hurry!” The message crackled with static as Thelma quickly shut off the transmitter.

“Commander, we’ve got to help her!” Radu said, turning to the commander beseechingly.

“Radu, we’ll alter our flight path first thing in the morning,” the commander said calmly. At Radu’s anguished expression, he explained. “I won’t wake the crew in the middle of the night unless we’re in immediate danger! First thing in the morning, we’ll alter the flight path so that we can catch up to the killcruiser. If it keeps moving along the course that this transmission was sent from, we should be able to reach it fairly quickly. Then we’ll just dock in the landing bay.”

“But how - ” This was insane! The Spung weren’t just going to let an unknown ship into their landing bay! Radu stared at the commander with a look of utter bewilderment.

“Mr. Radu, it’s 0300 hours. I’ll explain the landing process to you in the morning - right now, it’s time for both you and me to get to bed,” the commander said, in a tone that made clear he expected no argument. With a sigh, Radu headed for the jumptubes.
“Now, Spung ships are so gigantic that they aren’t very worried about anything that could make it into the landing bay,” the commander was saying the next morning as the killcruiser came into view. “So that more guards can be focused in the command center, the landing bay controls have been automated. If a ship approaches the landing bay entrance, it’ll activate sensors, and be pulled in by a tractor beam - whether or not it’s a recognized model. Just approach casually, and we shouldn’t have a problem.”

Harlan nodded distractedly, only half-listening. He’d never practiced docking aboard another ship before, and the killcruiser was not only a daunting proposition for a first try, but also dwarfed the Christa, being several times larger. The task of landing was taking all of his concentration. But the Christa docked without any major problems, uneventfully pulling up alongside several small escape-pod type crafts.

“Okay, guys, let’s get moving,” the commander said, moving to the central control console. “Suzee and Harlan, get to the airlock - I’ll meet you there. We need to get back here and out into space again without wasting any time. We can’t afford to run into any other old friends . . . ” He stopped abruptly - no need to mention who he was talking about. The name had been lurking at the back of each crew member’s mind since the mission was first spoken of.

“Uh . . . Commander?” Radu said suddenly, as the significance of the commander’s orders dawned on him. “You, Harlan, and Suzee . . . J-just the three of you?”

“You’re staying here, Mr. Radu,” the commander said firmly. As Radu opened his mouth to protest, the commander cut him off. “You’re too emotionally involved. That makes a person reckless. You’ll be a danger to yourself and to the rest of us. And to Elmira.” Radu’s face fell as he realized that the commander was right. “Don’t worry,” the commander added more gently, “we’ll get her back safely. This plan will work.” Radu let a faint ray of hope creep into his mind, but it was quickly crushed as he heard the commander mutter, “It’s got to work.”
“Where did she arrange to meet us again?” Harlan asked for possibly the tenth time, trying desperately to keep a tremor from creeping into his voice. It was difficult to be calm and collected while sneaking around on a forbidden ship with hopes of aiding the escape of your worst enemy’s daughter.

“We arranged to meet her where this corridor intersects the next one,” the commander whispered. “There she is - you see? Just ahead.” Elmira hovered nervously in a doorway, peering anxiously up and down the corridor. When they got closer to her, she crept out to meet them. Although she said nothing, Elmira kept casting glances at the empty space behind them, as though she expected Radu to appear suddenly from his hiding place.

“We’d better get moving before someone finds us,” the commander jumped in. As they hurried back to the Christa, no one guessed that the little rescue mission had not gone perfectly. No one saw the figure following the recovery party down the corridor. And no one saw the same slim form as it slipped onto the Christa seconds before the airlock closed . . .
“Radu, I’m sure she’s fine,” Miss Davenport said. The three crew members not part of the rescue mission were in the command post as monitors, but only Rosie and Bova appeared to be doing any monitoring. Radu had been pacing anxiously back and forth and fiddling with the consoles . . . he hadn’t stopped fidgeting since the team had left.

At the sound of a familiar voice, though, he whirled towards the command post door.

“Radu!”

“Elmira!”

They flew at each other, hugging as if some unseen force would rip them apart again. The stowaway crouched in his hiding place, watching in horror. My own flesh and blood . . . a traitor? She rejected all the fine young men I chose for her, and for - for this? Not only a pasty-faced freak, but he is one of those blasted children, besides! Silently, he vowed that he would somehow “dispose of ” Elmira’s lover. His daughter would never be allowed to see her precious Andromedan again.
A few hours before dinner, the mystery guest revealed his identity - to the walls of the empty galley. If anyone had been in the room, they would have seen Warlord Shank step toward the food-wheel machine, peering surreptitiously over his shoulder. He knew the crew would be coming in for dinner soon, and he needed to lay the seeds for his scheme before anyone found him here. Hurriedly, he studied the plans he’d obtained from the cargo hold of this accursed ship and located the shaft that contained the Andromedan food tubes - presumably, the dehydrated packet at the front contained what would be the creature’s evening meal.

Briskly, Shank pulled a small white packet from its hiding place under his battle-helmet and emptied the contents into the tube of food, which he quickly resealed and put back into the shaft. Then he melted once more into the background, rubbing his huge clawed hands together in anxious anticipation of that night . . .
At dinner, Radu was pointedly ignoring Harlan’s friendly teasing about Elmira. “It’s no big deal . . . ” he insisted, ducking his head in embarrassment.

“Oh, sure, it’s no big deal. That’s why you two are pulling the old romance act. ‘John!’ ‘Marsha!’ Run toward each other in slo-mo, with romantic music playing. Hug. Oh, come on, Radu! You are so stuck on her!” Harlan said, laughing affectionately at Radu’s bewildered expression.

Taking a bite of his narf intestines, Radu almost choked. “What’s the matter, buddy? Your guts don’t taste right?” Harlan chuckled. Seeing Radu’s face, his grin suddenly disappeared. “Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Radu shook off the wave of dizziness that had just passed over him. “No - I’m fine. I just . . . thought I tasted something a little weird in there. It’s - nothing.” Ignoring the slight headache and nausea that had washed over him as he’d swallowed, he jumped back into the conversation. “Harlan! Stop with the kissy-face!”
That night, Shank slipped into the boys’ room, anxiously awaiting the results of his “experiment.” The powder he had slipped into the Andromedan’s food should have him heavily drugged, and also should have left him more susceptible to mind commands. With luck, he would go peacefully - the reason for using this particular potion instead of a simple tranquilizer was that this blend should have left the creature semi-conscious, and, with luck, still coherent enough to pilot an escape pod back to the killcruiser. Shank planned to “persuade” him to bring Elmira along as well.

Radu opened his eyes, and saw an interesting-looking green creature standing above him. Slowly, he realized that it wanted him to go with it, so he docilely followed the strange reptilian creature out of the room into the corridor . . .
Something’s wrong! That was the thought that jolted Elmira awake. She had been in the midst of a dreamless sleep, the first that she had been free to enjoy in weeks. But she knew instinctively that something had happened to Radu - something bad enough to shock her into clear-headed wakefulness.

Cautiously, Elmira tiptoed into the hall and saw, to her amazement, her father! On the Christa? But it was unmistakably his all-too-familiar shape. As she peered closer, her eyes widened in astonishment at another familiar figure. Radu! With her father? And he didn’t even seem apprehensive - he seemed to be going along willingly. Something was wrong.

Elmira hadn’t realized that she’d made a sound, but her father spun suddenly to face her. “You are coming with me as well,” he said firmly. “You disobeyed me in sending your pitiful little message to these exasperating children. And now . . . finding out that you’ve been carrying on with this - this - abomination! If word ever got out, I would be humiliated. And you would suffer greatly for my discomfort,” Shank said with a sneer. “As a matter of fact . . . I believe that I shall make you suffer nevertheless.”

She winced as Radu grasped her arm hard enough to raise a bruise, and roughly dragged her down the corridor. Staring into his stony face, she realized, shocked, that he didn’t even recognize her. Tears sprung to her eyes. This wasn’t the gentle Radu she remembered - he seemed more like the brainwashed slaves she vaguely recalled from her early childhood. Elmira barely resisted as he flung her into the escape pod and clambered inefficiently into the pilot’s seat.

Elmira watched woefully, with tears in her eyes, as the Christa grew smaller and smaller in the portal on the side of the escape pod. I know you don’t know what you’re doing, Radu, she thought. I know it’s not your fault that you’re taking us both back into slavery . . .
In the torture chamber, Elmira waited anxiously. She knew that the drug would have worn off by now, which meant that he would probably have to be unconscious for them to bring him here. Looking at the various contraptions, Elmira couldn’t decide which was worst. There was the rack . . . the boot . . . the thumb rack. She tried not to imagine Radu being tormented by one of those awful machines, but the visions came to her mind unbidden.

As her father came in, Elmira ran to him and fell in a heap at his feet, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Please,” she said in a voice choked with sobs, “don’t hurt him. It’s not his fault - let him go! Whatever you’re planning - punish me instead!”

“Amu?” he said abruptly, looking behind him. A burly guard, Shank’s most loyal advisor, appeared instantly. “Have several of your henchmen ‘escort’ Surrola Elmira to another section of the killcruiser; apparently, she cannot be present for the - accomplishment.” Nodding, Amu grasped her firmly by the arm.

“Come along, Surrola,” he said purposefully. Elmira could tell from his grip that she had no hope of getting loose. Perhaps once she was out of her father’s sight, there would be some chance of getting a message to the others . . . Her heart sank as she heard her father’s next words.

“Amu,” Warlord Shank said commandingly, “you will remain with her. Only leave her at my personal request.” Nodding, Amu took a tighter grip on her arm. Another rugged guard was on her other side. Elmira closed her eyes, but not before she saw two guards hauling in a limp form.

As he took her out, Elmira froze. A scream was ripping through the air - a scream that Elmira realized with horror was her own name. The world swirled around her, and as she plummeted toward the ground, the events of the past few hours flashed through her brain.
Elmira saw the floor rushing up at her. As she spun dizzily, a single thought flashed through her tortured mind. “This is all my fault!” She hit the ground suddenly, and everything went black.
Slowly, Elmira regained consciousness. Where am I? she thought. Gradually she realized that she was in her room on the killcruiser. Then, in a flash, the events of the past few hours came flooding back. The rescue . . . Radu . . . the torture chamber. The act of sitting up set the room spinning again, so she was cautious as she rose to her feet and crept to the door. A quick glimpse confirmed her suspicions - Amu stood patiently outside. She knew that he would not leave her alone for a moment until her father ordered otherwise.

Idly, she began rummaging through the drawer of her nightstand. I know it’s here somewhere . . . there! She quickly pulled out a simple bone-handled knife and experimentally drew it through the air several inches in front of her throat. If I had the courage, she thought, Radu and I could be together forever, in a place where Father could never reach us.

“No,” she said out loud, interrupting her thoughts. If there was the slightest chance that he was still alive somewhere . . . she knew her bravery would fail unless she was certain he would be waiting for her on the other side. She needed to know he was gone before taking action that drastic.

With a huge lump in her throat, she went hurriedly to the computer terminal by her bed and tapped in the query with shaking fingers. The information flashed onto the screen, and she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her. But as she continued reading, tears of sympathy filled her eyes. Radu had been kept in the torture chamber for several hours and moved to a holding cell in the cargo bay at approximately 0300 hours, only about fifteen minutes before Elmira recovered from her faint. But he was scheduled for another “session” with her father at 0530.

I need to do something! she thought frantically. But as she remembered Amu, standing resolutely outside her quarters, her heart sank. Radu’s only hope was if she could somehow reach the crew of the Christa. Glancing at the clock, she realized that they would still be in bed. Forcing herself to relax, she reached out with her psychic powers, trying to summon those closest to Radu . . .
Harlan let out a final scream before waking up with a start, to find Bova peering at him anxiously. Quickly, he got his bearings. What a terrible nightmare! He realized that his pajamas and blankets were soaked with sweat, and that he must have been thrashing around as well as screaming - half his bed was on the floor. “What was the matter with you?” Bova asked worriedly. “You were yelling like someone was ripping your fingernails off one at a time. I’ve never heard you scream like that before . . . that must have been some nightmare!”

“Yeah - it was pretty bad, all right . . . ” Harlan said. The horrific details were pouring back into his mind - Radu was in some kind of dark dungeon, with Warlord Shank hovering over him. There was a contraption that looked something like a metal boot attached to Radu’s foot, and the big henchman standing beside Shank was tightening a screw in the gadget that was making it get smaller and smaller. And what was worse; Harlan could feel Radu’s foot being crushed - hear the bones snapping. Abruptly, the image dissolved and Elmira appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. “When you wake up this morning, Radu and I will no longer be on the ship,” she said. “My father has taken us prisoner. Don’t worry about me . . . I can handle myself. But I’m worried about Radu. We’re on the same course that we were traveling when you came for me the last time, but whatever you do, don’t try to send me a transmission. Father’s intercepting them. That’s why I need to come to you this way. Please, come quickly!”

A chill passed down Harlan’s spine as he remembered the grisly images. Suddenly, he noticed Bova was watching him doubtfully. “Well, you can try going back to sleep,” he said abruptly. “I’m never gonna be able to sleep again tonight. I guess I’ll just go down to the lounge,” he added, grabbing a few story-tapes and his headphones as he headed for the jumptubes.
For once, Harlan was truly thankful for the tubes. With the ghastly pictures still filling his brain, he knew that he wouldn’t feel safe alone in the empty corridors. But as he came rushing into the lounge, he nearly screamed again as a figure leapt up into his line of vision from the couch in the center of the room. Luckily, he was able to choke the scream off in his throat as he realized it was only Suzee.

“Harlan!” she said breathlessly. “You scared me!” After a pause, she added, “What are you doing up in the middle of the night?”

“It’s this dream I just had . . . it gave me a major case of the shivers.”

He was confused by the look on Suzee’s face. It seemed interested and frightened all at once. “What kind of dream?” she asked suspiciously, not wanting to face the idea that was already beginning to form in the back of her mind.

Quickly, Harlan outlined the dream, leaving out most of the gory details - but he stopped in mid-word as he caught a glimpse of Suzee’s expression. “What?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“That’s the same nightmare I just had . . . ” she said in a horrified voice.

Suddenly, the pieces of the horrible dream fell into place. Each of them realized that when lights-out was enforced at 2200 hours the night before, all three beds had been occupied in both the boys’ and girls’ bunkrooms. But when they were roused, by Bova and Rosie respectively, the others beds had been empty . . .

“We’ve gotta tell the commander,” Suzee said in a terrified whisper.
“All right, team,” the commander said, “we’ve got the killcruiser on our scanners. But we can’t just go right in and take him out. We need to have a plan of attack before we do anything, or we’ll just be putting him in more danger, along with the rescuer.”

“And I don’t think we could sneak him out,” Harlan broke in. “From what I’ve - uh, that is - we’ve - seen, he probably can’t walk. It’d be simpler if someone could get him without having to creep around like some kind of criminal.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Bova said, frustrated. “Shank knows all of us - if someone goes in and tries to, maybe, buy him back, Shank would see right through it. The plan would fall through, and whoever’s trying to rescue him will end up in the same spot.”

Harlan and Suzee glanced at each other. Neither wanted to be in the spot they had seen Radu in.

Suddenly, Suzee’s face lit up. “I’ve got it!” As everyone turned to her eagerly, she smiled. “Think of the times we’ve run into Shank - he doesn’t know I’m part of the crew. I could pose as a - a trader, like Bova said. I could offer to take this problem slave off his hands . . . ”

The crew formed a huddle, quickly formulating their plan of attack.
Suzee stood at the airlock, poised to enter the main part of the killcruiser. This was a big mistake, she thought nervously as she mentally ran through the plan once more. Okay - I think I’m ready. No! Harlan’s right - I can’t do this alone. Harlan had been loudly protesting that sending Suzee onto the killcruiser unaccompanied was “asking for trouble.” The Christa was nearby, but not close enough for her to depend on them for any help. Back in the command post, she’d argued that she could handle it, that the plan was foolproof. But now she starting to doubt her own ability. You can’t hover here forever, Suzee, she thought. Checking once more that the Starling was secure on its landing site, she took a deep breath and stepped through the door into the killcruiser’s main body.
The guard stopped short at the unfamiliar female voice. “Excuse me,” she said. She spoke quietly and politely, but had a manner about her that suggested she was used to being heeded when she addressed someone. Turning, he saw a young female of an unfamiliar race. Dressed in a tight-fitting blue suit and loose cape, and holding a small pack, she did not fit his mental image of a commander. “Who is the captain of this ship?” she asked suddenly.

“Warlord Shank,” the guard said, struggling to remain calm under the young female’s piercing gaze. “He is currently in his observatory. And he insists on receiving all guests before they are permitted to go about their chosen business. Come along, please.” With a firm grip on her arm, he took her off toward the observatory.

Click here for Part 2 of Together Forever?