Chapter 24

"Themis, is it? You may call me Vicar Gauss, or sir." The officer, Gauss, was staring at her with interest, gauging her reaction to the use of her Agency code name. Since Kat already knew there was a leak and she didn't have to fake a response. She simply stared back, not speaking and not showing any reaction on her face.

Gauss nodded, and then sat forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands. "Where is the other Agent who boarded with you? We are searching the ship and we will find him. It will go a lot easier on you both if you simply tell me where he is hiding."

Kat pretended to think about this for a moment, letting a small grin lift the corner of her mouth. "You can search until the stars go dim and you will not find him. Far be it for me to tell you how to spend your time, but you might as well pack it in, he's not here."

"Really Themis, you must think us fools. We had people watching you on the ground. They saw you board the shuttle from Chonwei and they were there when the shuttle returned, empty of passengers. We know he boarded the ship and we have identified his assigned cabin. All of his personal effects are still there, his bag is in the closet and the bed has been slept in."

Kat knew she had to appear confident, sure of herself. She allowed her grin to become mocking and she shook her head slowly. Her voice took on a taunting tone as she replied. "You may be soldiers, of a sort, but as spies you are amateurs, dilettantes. Did your men search the shuttle when it returned? I would bet that they simply counted the crew as they disembarked, maybe took a quick look into the shuttle. The gear in the assigned cabin is simply misdirection. Toss a bag in the closet, wet a towel and throw it on the floor, muss the bed ... We knew we were being followed and knew that we couldn't take a chance on both of us being captured. My partner simply stayed on the shuttle, hiding until he could slip away from the port and take another form of transport. Or maybe he is just going to stay on planet, use the FTL Comm to report in."

Gauss looked thoughtful for a moment before his expression hardened and he continued speaking in a calm, conversational tone.

"I don't believe a word you are saying, but in the end, it won't matter a whit. You cannot stop us, your whole agency is powerless against us. As for your little friend," his voice became as cold as the vacuum of space. "If we do not find him, the consequences will be on your head." Gauss continued to stare at her for a moment more, perhaps waiting for a reply. When Kat said nothing, refusing to react to the implied threat, he nodded, a single, decisive movement.

"Strip her, bind her, and take her to my shuttle."

Kat tensed, her mind flashing through possibilities. She briefly considered burying one of her concealed knives in Gauss's throat and use the other to try and escape. It would be easy to do, he was unarmored and the men standing behind her would not expect her to explode into action. Gauss would be dead before they could react. The guards would probably kill her, but she would not go alone.

On the other hand, they would certainly find the blades if they strip searched her and it would remove any last advantage she currently had. She knew that she was trapped here on the ship, at least a dozen armed and armored men, not counting the three armed blockading ships.

In the end, she decided against it, hoping that by being patient, she would get a later chance to escape and, just possibly, learn more about this operation.

She would regret that decision.

The soldiers grasped her arms and lifted her out of the chair, slamming her down onto the deck, flat on her back. Two more grasped her legs and a fifth man pulled a blade as long as her forearm and approached slowly, waiting for her to stop struggling.

The man with the blade, a subdued name tag on the chest plate of his armor reading 'Blake', set the knife alongside Kat's ankle and began to move the cold steel blade upward, it's tip barely touching the skin of her leg. The knife was as sharp as a scalpel and it parted the cloth easily, cutting a thin line from her ankle to her waist. She felt a slight tug as the knife hesitated a second when it reached her belt line and cut through the tougher material of the belt itself.

He repeated the operation on the other leg and, with a negligent flick of his wrist, tossed the top half of her pants to the side. He slid the knife along the sides of her underwear, repeating the process on both sides. This time he looked up, meeting her eyes and a twisted grin appeared on his face as he slowly removed the scraps of cloth covering her genitals.

Kat was as angry as she had ever been in her entire life. This sadistic prick was enjoying this, enjoying the humiliation of baring her to the eyes of his compatriots. She didn't have any particular taboos against nudity, but this was something different. This was a calculated attempt to rob her of her dignity, her sense of security and his obvious enjoyment made her bile rise.

Moving up to her torso, he worked quickly and soon she was completely naked, still held in place by the vice-like grip of the four soldiers. Much to her relief, Blake didn't take advantage of the situation to touch her in any way, but his leering expression, and the look on the faces of the other soldiers, was enough to make Kat sick to her stomach.

Looking up at Blake, and with as much hate and menace as she could muster, she spat at him. The spittle struck him just above his left eye and began dribbling down his cheek. Kat glared at him and made him a promise. "You, I will kill slowly."

He looked surprised, shocked that she would be so bold. Then his expression twisted, becoming feral and ugly. He bared his teeth in a growl and raised his hand to backhand her. Before the blow could connect, Gauss spoke sharply.