Spacewalkers

10

The clap of the hand echoed around the room, but the girl did not wake up. I had to hit again, and only after that she groaned in pain, and her closed eyelids trembled.

- Wh-what? Where I am? - Overcoming the excruciating pain in her head she asked.

- Everything is there, everything is with me, - I answered, taking a chair and turning it back to her and sitting down on it, throwing my leg, - Come on, talk.

- What to say? - she asked with incomprehension, trying to examine me and the room around.

To be sure, she moved her arms and legs trying to free herself, but realizing that she was tightly bound, she looked at me with surprise in her purple eyes.

- Who is she? Where did you come from? Who sent? - when asking questions, I raised the finger of my clenched right palm, - Three questions with easy answers ... Atria!

- Yes, Creel?

Warn me if she's lying...

Instead of answering, I heard the whirring of the small wheels of the robot, which rode up to me and extended another slave collar with its small manipulator.

And this is an idea. If I start ordering her, then the witch will be obliged to obey, the collar systems themselves will determine whether she is lying or telling the truth and carry out the punishment. It was at Terra that I then set it up for free movement and the ability to disobey orders, and then only on the second day after her pranks in bed. I'm an ordinary guy after all, and you can find an approach to me, especially with her tongue.

The devil got distracted.

As soon as the collar flashed in my hands, the witch instantly came to her senses. She tried to break free from the bonds holding her back, and also began to scream hysterically using her power:

- Let me out! I command you to release me!

"That won't work," I replied in a calm voice, bringing the collar to her defenseless neck.

- Not! No need! I do not want! I beg you! Please don't do this!

“I don’t care what you want or don’t want,” I whispered in her ear, snapping the device and activating its functions with a short twist of the outer ring.

The collar squeaked, announcing to me that I got a new slave, who, in theory, should be protected from the rest of the galaxy, hunting for her heart. But now I will torture her. Maybe Tria made the mistake of giving me the mission to find and protect witches? Or are these all acceptable sacrifices...

- You bastard! Who are you anyway?! What do you want from me?!

- Discharge! I commanded.

The girl jerked from a strong electric shock. She clenched her teeth in pain, arching her chair in my direction, and then collapsed back as soon as everything stopped. Looking at her, I realized that people endure such punishment more painfully than furriods. Terra, unlike this witch, could move, albeit screaming in pain, but this one is paralyzed, forcing all the muscles to tighten.

“Stop…” she whispered in a heavy, quiet voice, looking at me frowningly with her violet eyes.

Saliva dripped from the corner of her lip, leaving a wet trail on her white T-shirt. Blood was already baking on her forehead, turning into a stale crust, and the girl's skin was covered with perspiration and reddened.

- Let me go!

A strong wave captured my mind, making me feel that elusive feeling of lightness. But immunity to mental influence did not let me down and leveled the influence of the witch's powers.

Her eyes were reddened from broken capillaries inside, blood flowed from her nose. Apparently, in this attempt to subdue me, she tried to put more effort than usual.

- Humble yourself, your abilities do not work on me, better save your strength, - I said almost carefully, reaching out my hand and wiping the blood that had dripped onto her upper lip, - Discharge!

The witch twitched and moaned in pain through clenched lips.

- Please let me go or tell me what you want?! Who are you anyway?

I brought her to that point of despair, when the torture victim herself is ready to tell anything. This situation has two sides: the first - she will tell the whole truth as it is, the second - she will begin to say only what I want to hear from her. I need the first one. The collar with the function of orders will help me with this.

"I'm the one charged with protecting witches like you," I answered without going into details.

It's too early to do it. It is necessary to give information in a dosed manner.

"Krill," Atria said excitedly as she watched the interrogation.

But I paid no attention to her. The girl almost gave up and is ready to tell me everything I need.

So protect! Protect me! I'm a witch! - she moaned desperately, and then lowered her head to her chest, - I'll tell you everything ... I was sent ...

- Discharge! - unexpectedly for everyone, I growled, and then, as the girl stopped twitching in pain, he again bent down to her and whispered, - If you thought that I would be satisfied with the information that I want to hear, instead of the one that I really need, then you better think again … Resolution…

- Stop! I beg! I'll tell it like it is!

Her heavy breath escaped her parched, chapped lips. The air was filled with the smell of urine mixed with sweat, from a puddle that had flowed onto the floor.

I pointed at the puddle and Atria released the robots to clean it up. But it wasn't the smell or the disgust that bothered me anymore, I'm used to it all. I had to torture people before, knocking out information, as well as sitting on the same chair in front of the torturer, urinating in his pants from pain. But unlike others, I don't enjoy it. You need to be the last psychopath to enjoy human suffering, especially such a cute-looking girl. Okay, enough with this. And now I will still feel guilty for trying to defend myself. Stupidity, damn it.

“Then tell me,” I said, leaning on the back of the chair in front of me and carefully watching the girl.

She avoided eye contact with me, she was afraid. She probably thinks that I won't like her look and I'll start shocking again. This immediately sheds light on her character, she is ready to indulge the strong. She is not going to fight to the end, values ​​her life above all else and is even ready to give up her pride and values. She is an ordinary person, albeit with abilities.

- I was sent to seize your ship.

- Who sent?

- Arreklis...

- Who is it?

Instead of a girl, Atria answered me:

- Captain Arreklis, nicknamed “Piercing Eyes”, a former rank ten techno-mage inquisitor. He was demoted and expelled in disgrace for excessive cruelty and manic inclinations towards captive witches. He is famous for his mastery of two blades. Currently a space pirate with a bounty on his head.

“Even the Inquisition has standards for interrogation and cruelty to witches?”

- As a rule, the Inquisition kills witches on the spot or interrogates, using torture to achieve an increased concentration of ether in the heart before removing it. It has been proven in practice that this method allows the technomage to become stronger in a short time. But Arrelix tortured them for personal pleasure, which did not benefit the order.

- Where did this information come from?

- The old archives of the Inquisition and its full history have been received by your AI as an introductory information for new cadets entering the service. And I just studied them.

- Well done, - I praised Atria, finally getting really useful information, and then turned to the witch, - And how did it happen that the witch works with the former inquisitor?

- I'm not working for him, I'm his ... - she stammered, losing the last words in tears, but then calmed down with a heavy sigh and began the story, - I was in captivity when he mocked us. We were caught a year ago on one of the trading planets, me and my girlfriend. Arreklis had already been expelled from the Inquisition, but he did not leave his business. He wanted to torture and enjoy it. And the only ones he knew how to look for were witches. So he went on our trail, and then grabbed. A friend was the first in line ... He mocked her for a whole day, doing everything so that she continued to scream and scream. So that I can hear it. And then when it was my turn, he looked at me and said he was in love. He took my hand and put a knife to my throat, offered a deal: “Either I use my powers and find new victims for him, or he rapes me along with the team,

- It is clear that you chose, - I nodded knowingly, - I was frightened and decided to save myself, commendable.

“I would rather die there, stumbling upon his knife, than go through all this again!” she growled with hatred, searing her violet eyes.

She was angry not at me, but at the captain she served.

- And what was your job?

“We intercepted rich ships, I landed first and subdued the entire crew with my powers, and then handed them over to the rest of the Arreklis crew.

- And then what?

- Then everything, as always, the division of booty, requests for ransom for the especially rich, letting slaves and beautiful girls go around, do not disdain beautiful guys.

Would you like to do the same with me?

She glanced at me briefly, then looked down again. All anger vanished from him, vanished like morning mist with the arrival of the wind.

- You would only get me, I have the right to take the girls and guys that I like. Nobody touches them, not even Arreklis. Then they would have received a ransom for you, and perhaps they would have left you on some planet with a beacon to wait for rescue.

- Piracy does not change, even in space people manage to remember everything forgotten in the past, - I sighed, not doubting the sincerity of the girl's words.

If she had lied to me, the collar would have given me an electric shock. I don’t know how he understands this, from a heartbeat or something else, but I’ll try to trust, although not completely, doubts still remain, if not about her story, then about their interpretation. You can always tell the truth, withholding most of the details and turning everything in such an angle that is beneficial only to you.

"Why didn't my powers work on you?" Are you really supposed to protect us? - she asked with some hope in her voice, - You can protect me from him?! Can you free me?!

- What will I get in return?

She did not even think about it, she immediately blurted out:

- I will become your slave, servant! Anyone…

Hell, do they all have the same thing on their minds? That Terra, that this witch, both say almost the same thing. They sell themselves into slavery if only I fulfilled their requests. The truth is, they don't have anything. What else can a woman offer a man in a moment of dire need? Only your body. So much she despaired, and is ready for anything.

- What if I lied to you? What if I'm worse than your captain? Suddenly I like to torture and hear screams?

Saying this, I lowered my voice to a whisper and moved closer to her, so that our foreheads touched and our eyes met.

The witch trembled slightly.

“Then, I have nothing to lose,” she said in a trembling voice, “I still face death after such a failure with you. Arreklis does not like the useless and the weak. All I have to do is step on his ship and I'm dead. So what's the difference?!

I smirked slightly. And it's true. Who cares? That I will kill her, that he. She has nothing to lose.

- Okay, and how to get on the ship?

- Why? Better get out of here! Get your feet up, chart a new course! Tell your AI...

There was a roar and the ship shook slightly from side to side. Tools and small parts fell from the shelves.

“A mining-type pirate ship took us on board.

- Please kill me! Please! Kill-e-e-e-th! the girl screamed, starting to convulse in her chair.

- Discharge! I shouted to stop her.

She lost consciousness from the first electric shock and collapsed to the floor like a sack of potatoes, dragging her chair with her.

I got up from my seat and cut her bonds freeing her arms and legs with bruise marks on her ankles and wrists. Then he picked her up and carefully carried her upstairs to the medical block, where Terra was already being treated. Her appearance got better. The fur is just as soft and silky. The fangs grew slowly, like the claws, only reddened bumps of scars remained from the wounds, but I think they will also resolve under the influence of new technologies.

- Treat her, but keep her unconscious until my return, - I said to Atria, - When Terra wakes up, then tell her that I ordered her to sit in the cabin and wait for me there. Don't even think about going out and looking for me.

- It will be done, - answered Atria, - Are you sure you decided to face the pirates alone?

“They won’t let us go so easily, and it’s time to warm up on real enemies, take a bigger boat, otherwise it’s already crowded for three,” I answered, going out to the airlock and taking out a hunting knife from stocks.

Did you have to do this to her? - Atria asked a question, - Your task is to protect them, to protect them, and not to torture and interrogate them. You're using harsh methods, Tria wouldn't approve of that...

“I don’t know any others,” I answered with a shrug, adjusting the sheath on my lower back, which stretched out on its own, clasping the torso and thigh with thin but strong straps, “If Tria wanted to find a noble and kind knight for the witches, then she made the wrong choice.

"Tria would never be wrong..."

- That's it, - I drawled, - She knew who she chose, and therefore do not dare to doubt my methods anymore.

“I understand, Creel,” Atria’s muffled voice rang out, “Here, take this earpiece and put it in your ear, so I can always be there for you and give advice.

I hope your advice doesn't come across as whining like "Kreel don't do this"?

- No, this will not happen again.

- For an artificial intelligence, you make quite a lot of mistakes and allow too much emotion.

- Should I stop? she asked with some challenge.

Hearing this, I grinned slightly as I looked at the reflection in the polished metal.

- No, I even like it that way, - saying this, I took the earpiece from the little robot and put it in his ear.

There was a hiss and a palpable prick inside my ear, and then there was the soothing voice of Atria:

- Now the transmitter is installed, and we can always keep in touch, without everyone else hearing us.

- Well, then watch my girls, and don't let them kill each other.

Finally, the first door of the airlock opened in front of me, allowing me to go inside. A hand reached for an open cabinet where two blasters lay. I only took one. The second sent along with the robot to his personal cabin, where Terra would later come after the treatment. Let her at least have something to fight back.

“You have a high chance of dying here,” the AI ​​voice said to the ear.

"And you're highly likely to be fucked if you keep 'croaking' about my death," I snapped at Atria, slightly neurotic about the battle that lies ahead.

- If you survive, you can send me anywhere.

“Agreed,” I replied with a smile.

The airlock slowly opened in front of me and a dim yellow light penetrated the gap of the divergent metal shutters. Here I am inside a pirate ship.