Chapter 5

Solath appeared in all her "big boned" glory in a hallway that looked to be more of the inside of a giant beast. She hurriedly walked down the squishy floor to the door two Razory were guarding at the end of it. By the time she had gotten from her lab to here, she had formulated how these two could be the catalyst she needed to finally get revenge on Grayheg for what he did to her sister.

First phase internal combustion, Grayheg's second in command was the overseer of the rebirth chamber, which was basically another way of saying torture chamber. Blakton Grayhegson was his name, and torturing her people was his game and who, as the name suggests, was the son of the esteemed commander Grayheg who had also taken so much from her. Who better to stab him in the back?

Using her telepathy as she walked through the sphincter like doors and past the guards, she used her summoning ability to bring the ugly beast that was Blakton to her, instead of wasting precious time to find him. As she waited, she tried to hide her disgust as the large room filled with her people being branded and tortured. Some had finished their "conditioning" with cold iron, and were being fitted with metal head gear that would lend their powerful intellects to this war machine. She could do nothing for them after that phase, but she would soon be able to release them from that pain, and hopefully bury her guilt.

The sound of something heavy dragging on the ground alerted her to Blakton's arrival. Turning her head and gaze from the grisly scene in front of her, she came to behold the abomination Blakton. He had a bloated body that took more after his mother's species than his father's, meaning he looked more like a bloated pig faced naga (snake woman) with gender issues, and that was putting it nicely. Looks like her mental conditioning that took all those years to get past the Razorys' natural defenses paid off if he came so fast.

"Sub-commander, always a pleasure" Solath said, as she turned completely to address him.

"Only you, Solath, would say that" Blakton said in a high pitch squeal that seemed out of place on something so massive, sounding like a chipmunk kicked in the nuts (no pun intended), to tell the truth. "What brings you to my fleshy hall of horrors?" he finished with a scowl.

Her gaze moved past the monstrosity momentarily to take in his usual entourage plus one, " well this is convenient" she thought, but out loud said "hello to you too, Blakton. I see you have gotten Grayheg's order ready."

For a second a look of incomprehension passed across Blakton's face, but finally looking behind at what Solath was looking at and talking about, his countenance soon turned murderous. Jill, who was following Blackton, backed away into the guards holding her just from the look that wasn't really directed at her, but was intimidating nonetheless. Blakton then turned back to Solath and spat out "Father dares to take this wench from me, she is likely the last elf conquest I'll have for centuries, with your former people leaving, he dares steal from me this?"

"All I know is he doesn't want anyone to know, and that she is to be conditioned under my care to be the perfect 'wench'." Solath said, lying and hoping her post hypnotic groundwork would do its job. "I had thought that you, being his son, would be one of the few he told." she finished with a questioning brow.

This last bit seemed to enrage Blakton more, as his tail rattle started to shake and rattle while his eyes began to actually turn red in his rage. "Finaly" thought Solath "the suggestions are at last taking hold". For the last fifty years she had been planting subtle commands throughout the space station, until all but Grayheg was affected (because he couldn't be). He, Grayheg, had taken so much from her but still expected her not to get even and follow his commands, was stupidity on his part. He thought that holding her sister hostage would ensure such loyalty, that was just one more reason for her to defy him. Thus, now that her commands were taking hold, she let what evil people do best, that was backstab each other. Within the next few months it looked like phase one would be done, and phase two, the point of no return, would commence.

Blakton started grunting and squealing in his native language, clearly swearing as he slithered (paced?) back and forth. After a minute or so he got his temper under control, but Solath could read that phase one was officially underway, she had planned on it starting soon, but this was great for her. Now all she had to do was cement it in Blaktons mind that Grayheg was to blame for all his troubles, and thus the games would begin.