Chapter 17

Dusty approached the sobbing woman and said gently, “Are you with the pirates?”

The woman didn’t move at first, but she stopped weeping. She straightened and turned the chair to look at the five people standing behind her. She looked them over with fear in her eyes.

The fear subsided as she realised that four of them were women. She also recognised the insignia on their camo-clothes and knew they were from UNSEC.

“I can’t believe it, you finally found us. It took you seven bloody months, but better late than never for some of us anyway,” she said with bitterness.

“Who are you?” Dusty asked her.

“Dr Whitney White. I was the ship’s doctor on the ship The Queen Anne, from the UK,” she replied.

She looked at Dusty’s arm when she heard a male voice say, “The Queen Anne did indeed have a Dr Whitney White as the ship’s doctor. Facial recognition indicates that this woman is who she says she is.”

“How many from your ship are still here?” Que asked.

“Five, those who weren’t sold died. The Captain got the idea to breed his own slaves instead of selling or killing everyone from the ships he waylaid. We were on the first ship he kept all of the women from. He’d kept some people from other ships, but then he sold them.”

“This damn place is a pesthole. I no sooner get one disease under control, and then we get new people, and it starts all over again. Some of the plants are toxic, and I’m sure some of them have affected the pirates and some of the prisoners.”

“I kept telling Rupert that we needed to move, but he won’t listen to me. I’m not even sure if he is sane anymore. Half of the people here are from the Taggart. It was a ship full of people from Eastern Europe, mostly Russian and from the Slavic nations. They took the rest of them to sell on Terra nearly six months ago.”

“Rupert kept more of the men from that ship as he was going to get them to start building better accommodations until he lost the plot. The last lot were from the Horizon about four months ago. They were a mixed bag from many nations.”

“However, they tried to kill his crew after he raped some of the women about three months ago. He had been stabbed the week before by one of the women from the Taggart and was already paranoid. Two of his men were killed, and ten of the prisoners.”

“After the riot, he lost it and increased the drugs. The other women were just as involved as the men, so he drugged them, too. His men just claim a woman and sleep with her until she is pregnant. Some of them have kept particular women, others still use whom they please, male or female, mostly because they are infertile.”

“Cara and Reni have each claimed a man from the ships called Ricky, but they sleep in the compound with him.”

Whitney then gestured towards the wardroom. “About six weeks ago, one of the pregnant women came to me in pain. I knew it had to be bad for her to complain. As I was examining her, she started bleeding and, and, it was horrible, really horrible,” she sobbed.

She gulped back a breath and continued, “The child she carried was deformed, and it had been dead inside of her for at least a week. She was from my ship. I told Rupert not to use Napper on the pregnant women, but since he was stabbed, he won’t be reasoned with.”

“He beat me when he found I wasn’t giving it to them in the doses he wanted, and now Ricky and Cara do the dosing. The women who are in there are all at risk. However, I think Ricky isn’t giving them or the kids the full dose.”

“I’m not sure how much damage has been done, as I don’t have a scanner to check the foetuses. But all of them are having problems,” she told them.

The worry and stress on her face were evident.

“So, can you tell us who is a pirate and who isn’t?” James asked.

“Yes, I can also point out the prisoners that are as bad as the pirates and those who have joined them like Ricky. Reese is the worst. He is the acting leader of the prisoners, but he uses the women and girls, and he makes sure the men have someone to warm their beds. He is infertile, and I think it upsets him that the women can’t have his children,” Whitney told them.

“Bindy and Bella, why don’t you take the good doctor to the main compound with Aaron? Round up those who have been helping the pirates. Use the darts on them and then cuff them. Add the ‘Hurts you twice as much’ spell to them,” Dusty said grimly.

“What about my patients? Tarsia is very sick, and I’m worried that her child is dying,” Whitney asked.

“Que is a doctor and will have a look at them for you,” Dusty informed Whitney.

Whitney frowned, but there was little she could do with what she had. She sighed and lifted herself from the chair. She was very big even for eight months along. She smiled sadly at their looks.

“My husband’s last present. I knew I was pregnant on the flight out. It didn’t stop them from raping me, but at least I know they are my husband’s children.”

Que gently touched Whitney’s tummy. She smiled at her, “Your twin daughters are healthy. You are a bit anaemic. A vitamin shot and some decent food will fix you up.”

Whitney was obviously relieved to hear another doctor tell her what she knew. She then frowned, but the twinkle in Que’s eyes forestalled her questions. She would ask her later if the tingle she felt when Que touched her was from what she thought it was from.