Imperial Sentinel Interlude II: Dark Dreams
Stormwolf

Jim knelt on the dock that was connected to the bridge that spanned
the length of the large hydroponics room. Lapping gently against the
dock was clear fresh water that filled the room. Below the surface of
the water grew grass-like green plants that swayed gently in the
tides. Above the water grew water trees, their spreading branches
shadowing the water, and their root beds floating on top of the water
covered in a soft bed of moss that hid the floating roots. The water
trees drifted along in the water moved only by the currents. Other
water plants grew in the huge hydroponics room providing color to the
greenery of the trees and moss. At the far end of the room, Jim could
see some of the scientists studying the readouts from the computer
that controlled the environment of the hydroponics room. They
tolerated his presence, and did not bother him at all. Jim was
grateful for that.

He stripped out of his clothes, and folded them laying them on the
dock. Then he smoothly dived into the water like a knife through
butter, and swam beneath the water's surface like a dolphin. The
slightly warm water felt good against his naked body, and the burn of
his muscles made him feel alive after many days of convalescence.

Surfacing for air, Jim looked around them breast stroked for a while,
and then dived beneath again. He alternated swimming above and below
the surface of the water. Sometimes he would dive down to the bottom
and brush against the long blades of the grass-like plants.

Eventually his muscles grew tired, strained from the activity. He had
only now been allowed to exercise after spending days in bed, unable
to control his muscles after his long stay in a WOMB. The Empress and
Blair had worked together to care for Jim during that time. Because
he could not move his muscles beyond mild thrashing, and convulsions,
Jim had been bedridden for that time. To his disgust and
embarrassment, Jim had been forced to wear a diaper because he could
not walk to the bathroom. He had been cared for as if he were a baby,
cleaned, fed, diapered all by either Blair or the Empress or both
working together to accomplish the task. If they needed to put him
somewhere, one of the Empress's personal guards carried him like a
babe.

Eventually, he regained the use of his limbs and muscles and gained
control over his bodily functions. Finally, he had been freed from
the room to exercise and roam the ship. The first place he had gone
was to the quiet room that was the hydroponics lab.

Jim made his way to one of the water trees and climbed up on its
floating moss covered roots. On the soft moss, Jim laid down, nude,
beneath its sheltering branches. He had not intended to stay on the
island for more than a few minutes, but exhaustion took over and the
sentinel fell to sleep. A few minutes after Jim drifted into
dreamland, the rain fell softly. Beneath the spreading branches, Jim
was sheltered from the rain as he dreamed.

He was the panther, standing on a desolate hill overlooking a
desolate plain. Above him, a moon and a planet hung in the night sky.
A meteor burned for moment then died as it passed through the
planet's atmosphere. A roar turned Jim's attention to the plain once
again, and he watched as two armies of Dutrians attacked each other.
Surprised, since there little internal strife among their kind, Jim
watched the Dutrians rip each other to pieces.

He began to notice a difference among the Dutrians that he thought
might account for the hostilities. Some of the Dutrians had a large
bulge on the back of their bodies. Looking closer Jim noticed that
the bulges moved. The other Dutrians seemed to be aiming with their
stingers at the bulges and at one point a Dutrian succeeded in
hitting it. The creature that emerged dying from the bulge was a
centipede like creature with huge gaping maws, and sharp blades on it
hundreds of legs. Jim had never seen such creatures.

The Dutrian whose body had housed that dead centipede fell over and
died himself, the bulge now a bloody hole in its back. Jim's sight
saw the spinal cord was severed.

When Jim blinked he was no longer on the planet, but was floating in
space without use of a suit. Still in his panther form, he ran among
the stars. He stopped when he came to an Imperial warship hovering
over a planet. There was a quarantine beacon circling the planet, its
red light flashing.

Jim reeled in shock as the Imperial ship fired its planet destroying
weapons at the quarantined planet. He could hear the screams of the
dying people as the planet exploded. At the same time he could hear
the scream of the centipedes that infested the people of that planet.

He closed his eyes against the sight, and opened them when he felt
grass beneath his paws. He looked and saw an old stone temple rising
toward the starry sky. He could see the red light from an explosion
in space and knew it for what it was.

He woke suddenly from the dream, and shook away the fuzzy feeling
from his head. He knew he had Dreamed again. This one however seemed
to be on a larger scale than earlier ones. War. Not a nice prospect,
if his dream came true. However, he knew that the bigger dreams were
only a possible future. War may yet be averted, and may not. Jim
decided that he would not tell anyone his dream, not even Blair. He
held his dreams back before, and it had cause harm to Blair and
himself, but this one was not about the immediate future of that he
was sure. By saying something, he could inadvertently start the war.
And besides, the Imperials did not like to hear Dreams of the future.

Shaking off the dream, Jim stared around and noticed that it was
raining. He realized that his clothes were probably soaked. He also
realized that he was very close to being late for lunch.

Quickly, Jim dived into the water, and swam to the dock. He climbed
onto the dock, and redressed in his sodden clothes. He sprinted up
the ramp to the bridge, and then toward the door that opened upon his
arrival. The door closed behind him as he entered the halls of the
Imperial ship.

He sprinted for the Empress's rooms, which were a goodly distance. As
he ran he felt the tiredness in his leg muscles from being overly
abused.

When he the corner he was surprised to run into a wall. A large Elium
wall. V'narsh, one of the Empress's personal bodyguards stood over
Jim, who had fallen on his butt when he had run into the Elium.
V'narsh said nothing as he picked up Jim easily into his arms. The
Elium holding Jim against his chest, turned and walked along the
hallway. A few minutes later, V'narsh said to no one in
particular, "You are soaking wet, sentinel."

Jim didn't bother struggling to free himself. The Elium Imperial
bodyguards were specifically bred and trained for their positions.
They were loyal to the throne, protective of their charges, and
strong and deadly in battle.

It wasn't long before Jim discovered that V'narsh was not taking him
to the Imperial suites. Instead, he was going to the infirmary. Damn,
Jim thought. V'narsh was only following protocol. Jim had run into
him with enough force to knock himself down, and V'narsh was taking
Jim to the infirmary to make sure that Jim was unhurt from the
accident. Now I really am going to be late, Jim thought.

They entered the infirmary and were met by one of the Elium doctor
who had cared for Jim before. V'narsh explained to the doctor what
had happened, and the Elium nodded, and had V'narsh placed Jim on a
bio-bed.

"Its just as well you brought him, the Empress gave me orders not
more than a few minutes ago concerning her sentinel." The Elium
doctor said as he busied himself at a table.

V'narsh nodded as if he understood, and clamped his hand on Jim's
collar. At that moment, Jim began to panic. He had no idea what was
going on, but V'narsh's actions frightened him. He struggled to get
away, not worried that he was bruising his throat, and choking
himself. V'narsh used his other hand to keep Jim from struggling too
much. The Elium doctor rushed over quickly with a loaded
syringe. "Roll him onto his stomach if you can." The Elium doctor
told V'narsh.

It took a few minutes, but V'narsh managed to get Jim on his stomach
and hold him there long enough for the doctor to cut open Jim's
overalls to reveal the curve of a buttock, and inject the Docile into
the sentinel.

V'narsh held Jim until the sentinel succumbed to the Docile. As he
closed his eyes, Jim saw a sad faced Blair, and the worried faced
Empress enter the infirmary before all went black.

He awoke, lying on a bio-bed. Straps held him to the bed by his
wrists and ankles. A blanket covered his naked body up to his neck.
It was a heavy warm blanket, and it felt nice against his bare skin.

In the next few minutes, Jim began to realize by the feel of his body
what had been done to him. He threw his head back and howled in
anguish. The loss of his freedom, the loss of his innocence at the
hands of a madman and now the loss of his testicles combined to bring
about the scream that issued from his throat. He continued to cry out
even as he felt Blair's presence at his side. He ignored the soft
teardrops that fell on his arms coming from his guide as he screamed
and struggled. The Empress came into the room, and Jim cursed her in
every tongue he knew. The Empress ignored the curses. Instead she
came to Jim's bedside, as did the Elium doctor. He was again injected
with docile. As he fell beneath its power, he could feel Blair's hand
on his arm in an attempt at human comfort, and bitterly felt the hand
of his mistress petting his short hair. Oblivion took him, and Jim's
last thought was a prayer said in vain that he would not wake up.