The Empire - Chapter 02

Captain Tarn turned off his screen and looked up as two burly security personnel brought Adrian into his office. They roughly shoved the blank-faced, shackled man into the room and stood on either side of him, like two walls of muscle ready to crush him at a moment's notice.

Keeping his face neutral was an effort even as Tarn grimaced inside, but he was a senior officer in the Confederated Empire; he had become quite adept at never revealing his true feelings. Especially not in the presence of his first officer who stood by his desk with an insufferably smug look on his face.

The restraints were an unnecessary precaution. Adrian was hardly dangerous, nor could he go anywhere. Of course, it wasn't necessity or security that motivated Sub-Commander Barker.

"You can go." Tarn waved his hand dismissively at Barker and his 'security' personnel. "I'll handle this."

As Barker contemplated Adrian's expressionless face and stiffly correct posture, his tongue passed across his lips like a hungry man anticipating a long awaited meal. "Are you sure, sir? He's a tough one."

Tarn fixed his first officer with a glare that demanded respect and a voice that gave the effect of a sharp blade being unsheathed. "Are you saying that I need you to handle my own officers, Barker?" Tarn might be the Captain of a science ship but he was, without a doubt, the master of this vessel.

For a few moments, the first officer stared back unflinchingly. He was a martinet with the power he yielded and wasn't used to someone intimidating him, but the look in the captain's eyes made him hesitate. This was the only person on the ship who could order him to undergo retraining, and he knew the Captain wouldn't hesitate if he felt Barker was challenging his authority.

The first officer looked away, rather than down, backing away from a direct challenge but not by much. He said with stiff formality, "Of course not, sir." Realizing it might be misconstrued; Barker added hastily, "I mean you're the Captain. I would never suggest otherwise."

"I hope not." Tarn paused for effect and said in a steely voice, "For your sake. Now leave us."

Barker looked with undisguised regret at Adrian. He had been looking forward to giving this man an unpleasant time; he had something very special planned for him. A new retraining procedure he couldn't wait to test-drive on his least favourite person on the ship. “As you wish, Captain.” The first officer sneered at Adrian. "I'll be waiting outside." Barker turned on his heels and took the two security men with him.

After the unwelcome contingent left, Tarn regarded Adrian with interest. His science officer had not said a word since entering. Nor had he given any indication that he was alive and not some statue that one could never expect to have any expression.

“Stannis.”

The statue unfroze and spoke, his voice as formal as his posture, “Sir.”

Tarn flicked on his monitor screen and recalled the command dispatch that ordered Adrian to report to the Trykor. “What am I going to do with you?”

“My answer has not changed.” The shackles bit tightly into his wrists but Adrian's face remained impassive, refusing to acknowledge the pain.

The Captain sighed heavily. “I know it hasn’t. You’re a stubborn man, Stannis. You always have been. And a constant pain in my side.” He smirked slightly. “But even more of one in our first officer’s.”

“The man’s a fool,” said Adrian.

Tarn glanced at the closed door through which the ‘fool’ had just left. “Yes, but he’s a fool with power, and those are the most dangerous kind. You have to be more diplomatic, Stannis, and careful.”

“I have no interest in humouring bullies.”

“Unfortunately, this one has a great deal of interest in you.”

Adrian had been staring ahead without expression but now he looked at Tarn. “Is there anything you can do about the orders?”

Tarn shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m just the Captain of an insignificant science vessel; I don’t have any power in this.”

“You owe me.”

“I know. If I could help you, I would, but my hands are tied. The admiral wants you. I don't dare defy him.”

Adrian levelled a long, fixed glare at him but didn't say anything.

The Captain squirmed uncomfortably. This cold man's look could make someone feel naked and exposed. And guilty.

He said again, "I'm sorry, Adrian." It felt lame and inadequate as the words came out. Even the use of the more personal first name didn't make him feel any less a traitor. "I know you saved my career. If it weren't for you…"

They both knew why Adrian was in trouble now.

The Empire had little patience with those who did not produce results. Being an exploration vessel assigned to a barren area of space with almost nothing worth exploring wasn't an acceptable excuse. At Tarn's request - more like a desperate plea - Adrian had excelled himself and produced something out of nothing, a breakthrough in technology to increase the range of their scanners. That had satisfied the ghouls that demanded results. At least until the next yearly review.

None of the crew knew. Adrian preferred that no one ever find out. It would spoil his image of the self-serving loner.

Adrian wasn't surprised at this turn of events. It was the story of his life. All human beings were treacherous creatures who would betray you the moment the risk outweighed the benefits to themselves. He was a fool, and his life was one big exercise in irony. His greatest wish now was to live the rest of his life in a place devoid of human beings, assuming he survived.

He suddenly had an overwhelming desire to get out of this room. He would rather face Barker than continue to be in the same room with another person who had betrayed him.

Adrian's voice was like slivers of ice that burrowed into Tarn's flesh as he said in a dead voice, "Are you finished with me?"

Tarn winced as the slivers hit home and burrowed straight to his burdened heart. "Don’t say it like that."

The voice of the dead intoned, "How would you like me to say it?" He added in a tone that made Tarn feel as if his entire family had been insulted. "Sir?"

The Captain said defensively, "I'm not like Barker."

Adrian's throat was tight with controlled anger, "No." Barker doesn't hide what he is. "I'd like to go now."

The Captain hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should tell Adrian the truth about what was happening. He owed him that much at least. Better to find out from him than Barker. "Admiral Verel knows what you did on the Neutron Wave Project."

Adrian started and for a brief moment, his eyes reflected uncertainty. Unconsciously, he began kneading his wrist with his right thumb.

They finally found out the project failed because he sabotaged the test results. The 'loud' and very embarrassing failure had resulted in assignment to a ship that plied the ends of nowhere.

His collar suddenly seemed like a noose that was tightening around his neck. The very air pressed down on his body, squeezing him on every side, making each breath a conscious effort.

The future he thought he had finally made for himself was being taken away at the blink of someone else's eye. The person he thought he might be able to spend that future with, would be better off never knowing him.

His voice was toneless and his eyes held the depth of an open grave. It made Tarn shudder and feel even worse than he already did.

Adrian said, "He wants me to finish it." It wasn't a question.

"I'm afraid so." Captain Tarn could no longer meet his dark and disturbing eyes.

"And if I refuse?"

Tarn tried to swallow but his throat felt as if it hadn't felt the touch of liquid in ages. He tried to sway this brilliant but stubborn man from the disastrous path he was setting for himself. "Adrian, you know what they're going to do. They've already authorized it if you don't cooperate. Don't give them an excuse."

That was why Barker had been so smug. Admiral Verel had included orders for the maximum retraining level and had approved Barker's people to begin the preliminary stages.

The Admiral was a man who did not accept refusal from anyone and Adrian's file would have told him that he was particularly strong-willed and far too intelligent to bend to anyone's will. He would have Adrian's cooperation or destroy his mind. The thought of it made Tarn's stomach queasy.

Adrian said in a tired, lifeless voice, "I would like to go now, sir."

The die was cast. After a lifetime of struggle, he should have known that he would never be able to escape the Empire's control. He never had before, no matter how hard he tried. They were far too powerful.

Adrian knew they would most likely execute him once he was done, unless they had something else for him to do. He knew which he would prefer.

The Captain sighed and pressed the comm button on his desk. "You can come back in now, Barker. The prisoner is yours."

With a single word, Adrian's status had changed. He no longer had the benefit of a name; he was no longer simply an officer who needed to be disciplined. They might give him his name back if he gave the Admiral what he wanted but Adrian wasn't planning to.

**********

Kali stared in shock at the empty cell. Her eyes closed tightly and snapped open again. Projecting to Adrian was useless if he couldn't tell her where he was. Her hand slapped the side of the wall in anguish. Having limited psi abilities with humans was proving to be extremely frustrating.

Where was he? What did they do with him? Could they have released him? Was he back in his cabin? It was worth a try.

Her hand covered a wide yawn. She wasn’t fond of the night shift. It always made her feel as if she'd been run over by a huge transport vehicle. Unfortunately, Adrian preferred the hours when most people were unconscious and couldn't bother him with unreasonable demands or silly questions.

After a night of worrying, she was even more tired. She put one sluggish foot in front of the other, taking deep breaths to keep herself alert.

Adrian. Where are you? They were hopeful words sent out into the uncertain darkness. I'm coming to your cabin.

Her footsteps seemed unusually clumpish in the empty corridors. Military boots on metal surfaces were never very quiet. She might as well take out an advertisement or be wearing a bell.

Kali made the foray to the officers section. She'd never tried visiting Adrian's cabin before. It would announce a relationship he barely acknowledged to himself.

Her hand reached out to the door panel and paused in hesitation. Would he answer? If he wanted to be left alone, he might not. Even if he were inside. She liked to think he would make an exception for her but it was hard to tell. Despite her ability to 'read' his emotional states - when he wasn't actively keeping them from her - he was still a mystery.

"He's not there," a bass voice informed her.

Kali instinctively snapped to attention at the voice of the Captain behind her. She turned stiffly to face him. "Sir?"

There was a tired-of-life look in Tarn's eyes. "I'm sorry." His eyes held hers briefly and then he walked on to his own cabin.

A sense of fear made her chase after him. It was no longer time for discretion. "Sir, where is Adrian? I mean, Lieutenant Stannis?"

The Captain's steps faltered and stopped but he didn't turn to face her. "He's…" The words seemed to take a great effort, as if they grated against an open wound. "…in the Security Section." There was a pause. "With the therapists."

Kali swayed on her feet as the implication hit her. Her voice was faint and her cheeks were drained of colour. "The therapists?"

Captain Tarn regarded her with curiosity. "You have a relationship with Stannis?" he asked in a tone that implied that dogs doing the tango were more probable than Adrian having a positive relationship with anyone, and even less a romantic one.

"We're shipmates."

"Of course." She obviously didn't want to tell him and the Captain was never one to pry into the private lives of his crew, but he did not become commanding officer by being blind.

"I was worried. He didn’t show up for his shift."

"Yes." A dry cough choked his throat. "I wouldn't get involved, Ensign." His eyes sought hers. "It would be better for both of you."

His look froze Kali's heart in fear. It was as if he had dismissed Adrian from the land of the living. She stammered, "W-what's going to happen to him?"

The Captain's voice became frigid as he tried to distance himself from something that was making him ill. "That's up to him. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Even after Tarn had disappeared into his cabin, Kali stood frozen in place.

**********

"It's an art," said the Adjustment Therapist conversationally as he watched the black-clad security personnel strip Adrian and lift him onto the dull metal slab. Their movements were impersonal, as if they were preparing a specimen for testing purposes.

The cool air of the white-walled therapy room washed over Adrian's flesh, chilling him to the bone. He was determined to stay impassive, showing no external reactions, but an involuntary shiver passed through him as his flesh touched the icy surface. His limbs were spread-eagled and metal bands were snapped into place over his wrists and legs. Wider ones were stretched across his shoulders and hip. He tugged against the restraints but there was no give, he was immobilized. His eyes fixed on a spot on the featureless grey ceiling and he drew in his concentration, trying to ignore the feeling of being naked and exposed to whatever they wanted to do to him.

Barker was watching nearby, a sneer on his face.

Adrian was familiar with these psychological games to increase the feeling of helplessness and forced submission. As a valuable but uncooperative resource for the Empire, he had been subjected to them most of his life.

He knew what was coming. The only way to fight it was to concentrate his mind, to fill himself with thoughts of his own choosing. He could not allow them a foothold.

His cold flesh barely felt the pinprick of needles as they were inserted into his veins and attached to drug lines controlled from a panel near the bed. The cool liquid dripped down and was carried into his body, chilling him further.

They were beginning, and so was he.

The Quaten-Seris Theorem… His mind intoned the complex theory that had been his first brilliant thesis.

The Therapist, a pleasant-faced man with clinical eyes and hair that was greying, in a distinguished way, at the temples, continued talking to him. "Yes, it is an art. To be able to break a man’s will, but not completely. Just enough for you to continue being useful."

His fingers ran absently along Adrian's body, light as a feather, drawing a string of warmth across his chest. Despite his efforts, part of Adrian’s concentration was being leeched away as his flesh became acutely aware of the hot fingers that seemed to reach inside to touch the core of his being. It could almost be considered a sensual sensation if it had been a lover's finger and not that of a ruthless man who was preparing to twist his mind to suit another's will.

The Therapist bent down over his chest. Adrian gasped and his hip jerked against the restraints as warm air blew gently across his nipples. His eyes widened in shock as a different kind of warmth pooled in his groin.

There was a pleased chuckle from the Therapist. "You see, even the coldest of men have some feelings. The drugs enhance physical sensations. Both pain, which we will explore later in detail, and pleasure." He blew lightly across Adrian's inflamed flesh, sending reluctant shivers of pleasure through his body.

Adrian clamped down hard as he bit back a moan and desperately tried to find a way to fight this assault on his senses; the visceral, primal feelings that overrode the higher functions of the mind.

"There is no way to fight it," the Therapist informed him helpfully. "The other drugs force your body to respond by increasing the production of various hormones and chemicals." His face came within Adrian's view. "You never expected this, did you? They said you were special. You would be hard to break. They told me to get started and they'll take over with more advanced techniques. But I have a few of my own. Something I hope will bring me the recognition I deserve. I'll be recording this for prosperity. You will be my first subject."

Adrian regarded him with his well-known cold impassivity, but it required a conscious effort. His body had already betrayed him.

The Therapist's fingers brushed against the prisoner's lightly flushed cheeks. "Even someone like you can feel shame. You're a man who lives almost entirely in your mind. It makes you vulnerable to certain…" The fingers trailed down, selectively touching him, sending ripples of warmth and desire through Adrian's body. "…things. You don't know how to deal with emotions and strong feelings. You're afraid of them because they can make you lose control. So you try to distance yourself, shut down your emotions, and outlaw feelings as irrational."

The knife-edge of the Therapist's palm traced the smooth, vulnerable flesh along the inner thigh. Adrian hissed and bit his lower lip as his body stretched and arched against his will. He struggled against the restraints, less to free himself - which he knew wasn't possible - and more to express his resistance to what was happening.

Therapist smirked. "You're afraid. You know I can make your body do anything I want." He reached down and began stroking the most sensitive part of Adrian's body, slowly and firmly like a lover who knew exactly what his beloved wanted. He said in a seductive whisper, "Pure physical pleasure. Entirely beyond the control of your rational mind. Courtesy of drugs that don't care how smart you are. How does it feel?"

Waves of need rolled in past defences that were primed to fight a different kind of attack. They overwhelmed Adrian’s mind, compelling his body to move in an unwilling rhythm to the other man’s control. The Therapist was playing him like a finely tuned instrument.

No!

He rebelled at what was happening to him. He tried to concentrate, to bring his iron discipline to bear, but it was useless. He could not quench the fires that consumed his body and besieged his mind. The desires resisted all efforts to be pushed down; to be buried where he normally hid all things that threatened to take away his control. His body refused to obey his will.

Can't…think. Must…think…

Adrian bit his tongue, trying to produce pain to counteract the pleasure that was making his body betray him, but it only seemed to enhance what the Therapist was making him feel.

"Ahhh." One sensation seemed to build on the next as the Therapist stroked and touched him, blinding his mind, making it impossible to think, fight, to resist. His body arched and sagged to the control of the hand between his legs. Slow. Fast. Hard. Soft. Pain and intense pleasure.

The Adjustment specialist said clinically, "It will be interesting to discover which will make you beg. Will it be the pain or the pleasure?"

Fear entered like a thief, robbing Adrian of dignity and replacing it with feelings he had fought all of his life, helplessness and loss of control.

His jaw clenched harder, stifling the moans of desire that threatened to escape his lips. His face burned red with humiliation, and his fevered body ached with the need to reach a climax the Therapist was not allowing him. His treacherous body writhed with the agony of hate and desire.

No!

Adrian had been expecting pain, conditioning techniques, psychological trickery, anything but this. All the mental tools he had learned to fight them with were useless against the Therapist's manipulation of his senses, but he refused to give up. The man might have his body, but not his will. He refused to finish the Neutron Wave Project, not matter what they did to him. His voice was tight with anger as he said, "Go...To...Hell..."

The Therapist's face assumed an amused smile that stopped just shy of his eyes. "You're already there,” he said as he abruptly quickened the rhythm. Adrian’s hips thrust hard against the metal bands and a reluctant shout of release was torn from his lips.

Sub-Commander Barker tilted his head back and triumphant laughter erupted from a mouth twisted in a cruel smile.


Links to other chapters:

"The Empire - Chapter 01"  E: A galaxy under siege, a man colder than ice, and a relationship that cannot be avoided.
"The Empire - Chapter 03"  13+: Adrian's ordeal continues as Kali tries to save him.
"The Empire - Chapter 04"  13+: The Captain intervenes but is Adrian's ordeal really over?
"Invalid Item"  :
"Invalid Item"  :