Escaping Relativity
Chapter 34

Charlie was in the munitions room, playing with the antique weapons. She laughed to herself, Xander’s antiques were cutting edge technology for her. The entire adventure had been insane. No one back home would believe her, and there was no way in hell she would tell them. If things worked out the way she hoped, they may go to her parent’s home every so often and visit them as though they were living on Earth the entire time, and if things didn’t work out, then she’d send herself back anyway.

After Xander there would be no one else, and she didn’t know what she would do if there was an after Xander. She was pretty certain her loss of him would be as potent as the loss of her sister, but she would survive. She might not live again, but she would survive.

Reaching for a firing pin, the entire ship rocked sideways, everything knocking violently as though they were a small boat in the middle of a sea-born storm. Clamoring to get up from the floor, she immediately crouched back low to keep her footing, and began checking every room, yelling for the others.

There was no smell of smoke, but alarms were going off everywhere. Fear tried to freeze her to the floor, this was her nightmare. They were coming for her, and she was in a foreign land, in a foreign government, and her only saving grace was the one thing they wanted her for.

Finally, she found the others, all coming out of different rooms. She couldn’t help but smile, Rolara was buttoning her shirt and Brick was fastening his pants. She was so ridiculously happy for those two. They were wonderful, and wonderful together. Rolara couldn’t have a better protector, and neither could Brick.

Another loud explosion, brought her attention back to the attack. They rocked the other way, and everyone else stooped low. Taking her position, they all tried their best to not be knocked around and injured.

“Get to the deck,” Xander ordered, and they all obeyed.

“Lennie, not you, go downstairs, get on the com and send out our signal, hook me up as soon as you have our guy,” Xander commanded.

Charlie wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but there was no way her questions were needed, or even helpful right now. She would find out soon enough. Right now, they needed her to be who she was. Currency.

Xander rose his voice and spoke to the ship, “Systems analysis.”

“All systems go, shield damage thirty two percent, compression damage twelve percent, air circulation systems seventy two percent,” the ship answered.

Charlie didn’t know if she would ever get used to that, nor did she know what any of it meant, but as long as they were living, she called it good.

Xander hit a button and the visu-link appeared. She’d seen the transparent screen before, but this time, a horrible looking creature appeared before them.

“Sojo. How have you been doing?” Xander asked, nothing in him appeared to be anxious at all.

“Tracker, you have two things which belong to me, and I expect to get them. If you hand them over now, I’ll kill you quickly for the stunt you pulled,” Sojo said.

“It looks to me, Sojo, that I have only things which belong to me. You see, Brick here is my brother. Mine, yup, mine. And this beautiful creature here, is mine as well. Neither of these people are yours. They are free, not slaves, and they cannot be bought or traded,” Xander responded, as though he was having a happy little conversation.

“Well you do have a slave girl there who created quite a fuss for a trader who had been hired by me, and the woman you have under your arm is said to have killed my trader. So, you owe me those two in replacement. Come, Tracker, see reason. Don’t make me have to kill all of you over two worthless women.”

Brick moved his body to block Rolara, who was blushing simply by the mention of the incident.

“If they’re so worthless, then why kill for them?” Brick challenged.

“I was not speaking to you, traitor!” Sojo screamed, and the black thread of evil surrounded him.

Fear once more grabbed hold to Charlie’s heart. She had seen evil, she had faced it, killed it, beat it in battle over and over again, but nothing she’d ever faced had prepared her for the evil before her.

“You are the traitor, Sojo. You say you’ll take care and pay and work and be loyal, then you turn simply because you are bored. You’re nothing Sojo, nothing!” Brick answered him.

Charlie could barely breathe, and Rolara’s hands went to Brick’s back; one hand in the center, and one hand in the band of his pants, apparently needing something to hold her up. Charlie knew the feeling.

Another explosion and the ship was rocked backwards this time and the shot landed squarely in the front of the Velociraptor.

“If I am getting nothing, then no one else will utilize her either. I will not have anyone with the ability to come against me,” Sojo said.

Charlie’s throat began to close on her, her hands began sweating. She couldn’t, wouldn’t let them die.

“Wait, wait!” Charlie shouted.

“And what have we here?” Sojo asked.

“No!” Xander yelled, “don’t even think about it, Charlie.”

“I have to, Xander,” tears filled her eyes and her throat burned.

“No, you don’t. Just hold on a few minutes longer. Please,” he whispered into her hair.

“What is it? I’m losing my patience,” Sojo said while holding his right hand up. She assumed telling them to arm again.

“What if we make a deal? I don’t know how this goes; I’ll admit that, so tell me what you want from me,” Charlie said.

Suddenly a shot ran overhead and exploded into the side of Sojo’s ship.

Over the audio-coms everywhere came a voice so proper, Charlie would have sworn the one speaking had grown up in England.

“I expect you to leave post haste, Sojo or I’ll be forced to dispatch of you as a nuisance to the galaxy by threatening royalty,” the disembodied voice said.

“I haven’t touched any royalty, you pompous ass, this is a private matter with merely a Tracker and some pleasure slaves, Allegiant.” Sojo countered, but Charlie could feel the fear rising in him.

“You are attacking a royal fleet containing The Time Keeper. If you continue your threats, I will dispatch you. You will receive no more information, nor will you have any additional time, decide now.”

Charlie locked eyes with Rolara, waiting––praying. Sojo began shouting in a strange language. A slew of what Charlie assumed to be threats and cursing, lots and lots of cursing, and as soon as Sojo appeared, his ship left; and Charlie exhaled for what felt like the first time.

“Royalty?” Charlie asked Xander.

“Yes, Mrs. Charlotte Collins. As the only living Time Keeper, you are, according to our laws, in the same category as royalty,” Xander said.

“Mrs.?” Charlie asked. Her heart stuttered, and her stomach turned flips.

“Mr. Collins, you told us that you would give us The Time Keeper once she was secured. You have instead kept her for your own utilizations and after somehow filing the proper paperwork, given her your name. As a mated woman, she is no longer allowed to be held by The Allegiant without your presence at all times, and since you are our Master Tracker, and now royalty by marriage, you are free under The Allegiant and we cannot stop you from continuing your duties. You have found quite a loop hole, Mr. Collins. However, you do owe us some...accommodations for your survival just now, not to mention not living up to your reassurances after utilizing our JUMP machine, and also carrying with you a known criminal responsible for repeated hacking of our com-systems; the sentence of which is death.”

Charlie’s thoughts turned on a dime, suddenly the Mrs. didn’t matter anymore. The air left her lungs completely, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t take Lennie, they couldn’t. No! Immediately she ran to Rolara, and Lennie’s sister collapsed in her arms. All Charlie could do was rock the young woman who had so quickly become her sister. Charlie would kill anyone who tried to get him... “I’ll kill them all,” she whispered over and over into Rolara’s hair as she rocked her back and forth, knowing without a doubt, she’d use every skill she’d ever been taught to defend her new brother. Charlie had lost her sister, she wouldn’t lose anyone ever again, not like that. Devastation was written all over Brick’s expressive face, silently, he sank to his knees behind Rolara.

“You don’t want to do anything so foolish as to threaten Lennie, Sir. Someone who can do the things you accuse him of would certainly be better off on your payroll than to be someone in your prisons. Aside from that, we could draw up a contract between all of us, allowing you to utilize our JUMP machine which has been configured to Charlie’s specific brain waves and patterns, giving her increased control. Now, of course we would only allow such use under complete and total disclosure of the need, and you will have access to not only Charlie under my supervision as her mate, but also that of our child. You see, Charlie is...pregnant,” Xander said, gazing down at her, the last word almost a reverent whisper.

Charlie’s mouth went dry and her hands began to shake. Looking down at her stomach, she placed her hand there, then she looked up slowly. Immediately she fell into the training of her father and uncle, drawing her senses back into herself, she took a deep breath and sent her senses out as the small recon soldiers they were. Almost instantly, they returned to her, allowing Charlie to see Xander through her “other” eyes.

It was true. How was it true? It had only been a week. Had science improved so much?

“How? I mean...” Charlie trailed off.

“The scans for the microbe we did on everyone, told me. Then the next scan you had, I changed the search for the anomaly. Are you upset?” Xander asked her. “Would it be so bad for you to be my mate, to have my children, to be, live, here, with us, love with me, and Track with me, until the end of our time?” Xander asked her, holding out his hand.

Charlie took his hand, slowly standing. Her stomach clenching in anticipation of...a future. Was it possible? Had God kept her alive for more than to save Rolara and Brick? Had He kept her alive, so that Xander could save her? The questions bounced around in her mind until her heart shut them up.

“Yes, I’m mad at you! How could you do that behind my back?”

“Because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn’t. I couldn’t lose you Charlie. Not to The Allegiant, not to the Dilligara, and certainly not to anyone or anything else. Please, say you’ll be mine. I’ve already filed the paperwork. It’s already legal here, we can do whatever custom you need, but you’re already my mate here and now, just agree to it, please,” he begged.

“Yes, yes, a million times, yes!” Charlie said leaping into his arms, kissing him, branding him as hers as much as he had already branded her.

“I suppose we will draw up the contracts. It will also be necessary, I am certain, to add a protection clause; keeping Sojo and The Dilligara away from you, as much as possible. You must understand though, you have caused him quite a loss, and we will not always be able to come to your aid,” The Allegiant Representative stated.

“That would be appreciated and understood,” Xander said between deep, wonderful kisses Charlie couldn’t stop giving him. Eventually, the speaker went completely silent.

Charlie was stuck, staring into the dark chocolate eyes of the man who had stolen her body away, then her mind, her heart, and now her soul. Who was she kidding? She’d given it freely all along.

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