Aristian Holiday

Chapter 1: Lost Love

Riki couldn’t make sense of what he just witnessed. His mind could hardly get around what it was seeing, his ears were ringing and blood was pouring out over his right eye. As he yelled out his name, there was no one to answer his call...Iason was gone. The alarms had triggered the emergency shields to close down the hatches that were venting the oxygen from the ship, Riki was being held against the bulkhead by a Bio-Droid; each one programmed to protect the life of the person assigned to it.

Riki had been assigned two Class-A Bio-Droids at Iason’s request, however, only one was close enough to Riki at the time of the attack. It suddenly came up to him gripping him by the arm and pulled him towards the bulkhead securing itself to the wall. “Sir Riki, you are in immediate danger, please remain here until help arrives” droned the Bio-Droid before it was damaged during the attack that ensued.

Once the emergency shields were deployed, Riki managed to squeeze himself from under it and ran down the corridor, blood dripping down his face, his ears were still ringing terribly. The other passengers and crew ran from one deck to another trying to find the emergency pods to escape the ship which was moments away from crashing into the space station in orbit around Aristia.

No one cared for the frightened little Pet that had become separated from his Master, and his Master had just vanished from the corridor not ten feet in front of him. He had just bent down to retrieve the box containing the Meditation Spheres Iason had given him a few years ago. A gift- his first - that anyone had ever given him had dropped from his coat pocket to the deck and one of the spheres had rolled away.

He had just retrieved the ball when the ship was rocked by an explosion sending Riki flying to the far right hitting his head on the bulkhead. His head was throbbing and his vision was blurry, but he managed to get back on his feet; fear gripping his heart, he could not see Iason or Katze, Odi or Ayuda, no one he recognized.

It was a nightmare, smoke and debris littered the corridor and everywhere he looked he saw the bodies of injured and dead, their screams and moans were surreal, and Riki stood cemented to the deck, unable to move. A second explosion had jarred him back to reality, the ship was going down.

Without Iason at his side, he was lost. The poor little Pet, frightened by the confusion never having traveled by ship, let alone into space, looked down at his chains having badgered Iason to no end to be let loose of the chains while on board. Iason, finally giving in, had unchained him from his wrist cuff much to Riki’s relief.

“There, now be a good Pet and don’t get into any trouble” Iason whispered to a grinning Riki.

“I’ll love you forever!” Riki said, as he stood on his toes to give Iason a kiss on the cheek before scurrying away to find Katze. He was desperate to have a smoke since Iason forbid that luxury while chained to him.

But he never reached Katze.

Now those despised symbols of his subjugation to a Blondie that kept him tethered to his side, were all he had of Iason. He was nowhere to be seen. As panic set in, he ran back and forth in the same corridor searching among the injured lying on the deck for Iason, though he did not see his Master.

Near a portal he spotted Katze, he was beneath his Bio-Droid that had attached itself to the bulkhead in similar fashion as the one that was on him moments earlier. Katze was injured, his right leg had a piece of metal sticking out of it and he was bleeding badly.

Riki ran to him “Katz! Katze! Have you seen Iason?! I can’t find him anywhere, he was just in front of me then he was gone! Katze! Are you listening?”

Katze still in shock, stared Riki in the face, as if he didn’t recognize him at first. Then when the fog began to clear in his head, he responded to Riki’s panicked expression.

“I don’t know what happened, we were all walking down the corridor, and then this explosion rocked the ship and we all flew against the bulkhead.”

Katze was in so much pain, his body felt like it was on fire, and everywhere there was blood. He was feeling terribly lightheaded and just wanted to close his eyes and pretend all of this was just a horrible nightmare.

Riki managed to detach the damaged Bio-Droid from the bulkhead, and off of Katze. He shook Katze back to reality “Katze! Stay with me, what happened to everyone?”

Katze who was having trouble breathing once again spoke. “One of the hatches in front of us blew open and I heard laser fire. Odi pushed Iason to the floor and Ayuda shot back, but it all happened so fast! Odi was overpowered by a group of men, and struggled to defend Iason. He was fighting with this big Bio-Droid, then there was another explosion, and they were all sucked out! Iason was gone Riki! I don’t know what happened next, I passed out I guess, and when I woke up you were yelling my name..” Katze closed his eyes as the image of Iason being sucked out of the corridor kept playing in his head.

Riki was beside himself with anxiety and grief, he couldn’t believe Iason was gone. It was all too much. “Iason…gone? I don’t believe you! No! Th…that can’t be…”

Tears began to roll down his face and he crumbled to the floor next to Katze. He stared at the torn hatch now secured by the emergency shields. He did not see Odi or Ayuda, no one from their party except Katze who lay bleeding next to him. He ripped a strip off his shirt and tied it around Katz’s leg to stop some of the bleeding, but Katze had lost a lot of blood and kept losing consciousness.

Riki then heard medical personnel enter the corridor looking for survivors. He ran to a group of medics who where examining a fallen Blondie.

“My friend Katze needs medical attention, can you help him?!”

He was ignored by all of them. Of course, being a Pet, no one cared what his concerns were, since they only sought to help the fallen dignitaries and Blondie’s alike, though for the obvious hair color, most victims looked the same, bleeding smoldering lumps of flesh and blood.

Riki followed one medic like a lost puppy, he was getting pissed off as he continued to be ignored. Again he interrupted the medic this time tugging at his sleeve.

“You need to help Katze he’s bleeding badly!”

The medic, annoyed by Riki’s persistence, swiped his hand away.

“Pet! Step away and don’t bother me!” Giving Riki a slight shove, he walked away.

Riki was furious, never dreaming he would say what he was about to say.

“My Master will have your ass fired if he finds out you did not attend to his Assistant as he laid bleeding to death!”

Then Riki in uncharacteristic boldness stood tall, proud even, and showed him his gold-plated Pet chains engraved with the initials IM.

The medic scanned Riki’s retina to confirm he was indeed the Pet of Iason Mink. The medic quickly changed his attitude to one of respect.

“I – I see, yes, Lord Mink’s Pet, yes right away.”

He followed Riki to where Katze was propped up against the bulkhead. The medic quickly assessed him and called for more assistance. Katze had pieces of shrapnel in several places, he was in bad shape.

“Katze, I brought help, hang in there OK? Don’t close your eyes, stay with me.”

Immediately Katze was transported off the passenger ship to a rescue shuttle. And not a moment too soon, for as soon as the rescue shuttle began its flight to Aristia, Riki watched in silence, as the ship slowly plowed into the space dock and blow up.

It was one of the most horrific sights that he had ever witnessed. Riki placed his head in his hands and cried. The fate of Iason was unknown; his heart was heavy with sadness at the thought of what his life would be like without his beloved Blondie Master.

Riki and Katze were taken, along with hundreds of injured passengers, many in critical condition, to the main Aristian Medical Facility located on Isle de Dio, which was the largest island and Capital of Aristia, so named after the Aristian deity Armah. The island was absolutely beautiful, with lush green gardens and elegant architecture. The Royal Estate could be seen from every point on the island. The sea breeze was scented with spice and flora giving the island a sensual exotic appeal to the senses.

On any other occasion, one would be mesmerized with the beauty of the island, but this was not one of them. Riki sat in the waiting room worrying for his fallen friend, but most importantly, he was worried sick about Iason. Was he dead? If not, who took him and why? He was hoping for someone to come to him with any information, but again, being a Pet, no one really cared.

Katze needed surgery to remove shrapnel that found its way to just about every part of his body, it would be several hours before Riki would hear any news as to his condition. He sat quietly in his chair, his head ached and his ears were still ringing; he had suffered a concussion, and his wounds had been bandaged, cuts and bruises mostly.

Alone with his little box of Aristian Meditation Spheres, his eyes holding back tears. He took one out of the fine crafted box, brought it to his ear and shook it slowly to hear the little chime. They were a gift from Iason, a token of his affection for a whipping that had gone terribly wrong. He thought of how sad Iason was as he sat next to him kissing his forehead while the antidote cursed through his body to counteract the poison inflicted by the C-20 Spider, a whip used only for terminating the life of a Pet. A careless mistake by his Master when he failed to check the number level of the whip, one that Iason truly regretted.

By now, Riki sat alone in the waiting room, he had been separated from most of the injured as he was the property of Iason Mink, the Head of the Syndicate, and so extra care was now being taken of his Pet, and his fallen Assistant. Iason was greatly admired in Aristia, hailed as one of its most beloved visiting dignitaries. Iason was admired here as much as on Amoi, for his generous contributions to the Fine Arts and his love of fine wines.

He was revered as one of its own so much, his Estate was a gift by the people of Aristia, almost as if he were a prince belonging to the Royal family- a lost son. So Riki was being watched carefully, although Iason was not immediately found. The investigation did, however, lead authorities to believe it was a terror attack targeting Lord Mink and his party.

Riki had never felt so alone. His head ached, Iason was gone, and he was a long way from home. It had been several hours since Katze was taken in for surgery, Riki sat watching the video screen, as the news coverage continued to show the Ios crashing into the space station sending debris into the atmosphere that lit up the sky like a meteor shower. He closed his eyes when he thought about his last conversation with Iason; they had been traveling for about three weeks now, and were actually ahead of schedule.

The night before...

They were to reach Aristia by morning and Riki was relieved to finally get off the ship having endured the countless interruptions during their trip, as Iason’s time was in constant demand. This led to several arguments mostly about Riki being led in chains wherever they went.

On their final evening, Iason was to dine with Lord Bastian, a Dignitary from Alpha Zen. An insufferable man who’s callous reputation for the trade of Advance Technology, was tolerated if only for his ability to procure the latest in security devices. Iason was not looking forward to dining with him, and put off his invitations to dine with him until the very last day, hoping something would come up and he’d cancel.

He was not unattractive, however, his constant leering made Iason uncomfortable, reminding him of Commander Voshka Khosi, with his long dark flowing hair and masculine physique. He had mentioned the Commander on several occasions, leading him to believe he associated with him on a regular basis.

Riki had noted these exchanges whenever they crossed paths in the weeks prior, as the man was always fawning over Iason and even dared to take a lock of Iason’s hair in his hand, to compliment its beautiful color, comparing it to the sun in strength- yet gentle- in warmth. A move Ayuda and Odi did not approve of as they stepped forward giving Lord Bastian a warning look.

Prior to meeting Lord Bastian for dinner that evening, Iason and Riki had argued about him being led in chains to the dining hall.

“Can’t you give me a break Iason? I’m sick of those perverted snobs groping me all the time, as if I’m some kind of animal they can pet. Can I just stay here instead? I mean what’s his deal anyways? Does he want to fuck you or what?”

Iason, who was equally dreading dining with the man, knew it would be pointless to cancel, knowing he would be dealing with him at the Trade Convention. However, Iason had no choice as it would be bad form to not show up, though he would rather watch paint dry than be locked into idle chatter with that man.

“Riki, I assure you I have no interest in Lord Bastian, this is only business”. Riki was not convinced and continued to sulk.

By the time they left their suite, they hardly had spoken a word to each other. As they walked to the elevators, Iason pulled on this chain bringing Riki close to him as he whispered.

“You will mind me tonight Pet, let me remind you that we will be dining with Lord Bastian, and members of his committee; you know that I will not hesitate to discipline you in public, should you decide to cause a scene, so now you have been warned.”

Riki turned his face away from Iason feeling put out by the Blondie, who could love him so tenderly but a few hours ago, was now in full Master mode. After all the intimacy they have shared, he still had a problem with the two faces of their relationship. Iason’s public persona was still a dividing factor in their otherwise intense sexual dynamic. Riki felt he was never on equal footing with his Blondie lover, even when Iason insisted they loved each other equally in the privacy of the bedroom.

“Did you hear me Riki?”

Riki looked Iason in the eyes “Alright already, I get it!”

Ayuda and Odi sighed as they listened to the lover’s spat between the two, hoping this was not going to be a long night. Iason stopped the elevator with a push of a button.

“It seems you are going to be difficult tonight Pet, perhaps we should return to the suite, so I can make myself more clear to you in a language you understand better hm?”

Iason gave a meaningful tap to the taming stick attached to his belt. Riki now clearly pissed, turned away from Iason.

“Whatever, you’ll get your way anyways, so it doesn’t matter what I want.”

As Iason was about reply, the elevator speaker came on. “Lord Mink, do you need assistance?”

Ayuda turned to Iason awaiting a response, Iason shook his head and Ayuda answered into the com-line “Negative, we are continuing down to the lobby, stand by.”

Iason looked at Riki giving him a pointed look. Riki changed his expression - if anything- for the sole reason that he was really hungry, and actually wanted to keep an eye this Lord Bastian. He thought of the upcoming Trade Convention, and wondered if the whole trip was going to be like this, and it made him sad.

Iason glanced over noticing his changed expression. Riki looked down at his chains, feeling that by now, wearing his hated chains in public was never going to change, as long as he was a Pet.

When they reached their floor, they exited the elevator, and headed towards the dining hall and could hear the chatter that filled the room. Iason then stopped suddenly and turned around taking Riki aside by the arm which made him panic.

“What? I’m behaving!”

He looked a bit frightened, as Iason towered over him taking his hands and then suddenly released him from his chains. Riki looked up at Iason with a slight smile conveying his relief. Iason ran his gloved hand through Riki’s hair, and returned the smile as Riki kissed his cheek. They walked down the corridor leading to the dining hall when Riki decided he would have a smoke with Katze before joining Iason at the table. It was then that he dropped one of his meditation spheres and cursed out loud as it rolled away. Moments later, the ship was attacked separating Master from Pet.

*~*~*

Riki’s eyes filled with tears, his chest felt tight with anxiety, and also with much sadness when he thought of Iason being hurt and taken away. He touched the bandage on his head which ached, the nurse who treated him noticed him quietly crying, and approached him.

“Riki? Would you like something to drink? She gave him a comforting smile. “Your friend will be all right, he his strong. Katze- wasn’t it.?”

Riki nodded sadly “Yeah, he’s a tough one.”

“You’ve not eaten since your arrival, would you like something to eat? You should keep your strength up.”

Riki gave her a weak smile “No thanks.” And then whispered, “um…miss?”

“Selene…my name is Selene, Riki.” She smiled.

“Thank you Selene.” Riki reached up again and touched his forehead.

“Are you in pain? Here, let me get you something for that.”

She returned to her station leaving Riki for a moment. Selene had been watching Riki since he first arrived. She was fascinated with Riki’s looks, like everyone else upon seeing his dark hair and eyes. “Lord Mink’s Pet Riki” she thought, as she returned with pain medication.

“Here Riki, take this, it should help you relax a bit.” Riki swallowed the pill then asked.

“Have you heard anything about Ia…I mean my Master- Lord Mink? Have they found him?” His voice was desperate as he looked at Selene with hope.

“No, I’m sorry, I’ve heard no word, but there were many injured, and quite a number were taken to other medical facilities…”

Riki’s eyes were now searching. “Perhaps he was taken somewhere else, maybe he’s like Katze in surgery or something…maybe…”

Selene guessing his thoughts spoke, “Riki, I’m sure he’s fine, there were just so many…it’s too soon to give up.”

At that moment, Riki heard a familiar voice echoing down the hall. He couldn’t believe his eyes, it was Odi. Riki leaped up and began to rush towards him, when his mind began to swoon and he began to fall. Odi stepped forward, quickly catching Riki as he fell.

“Easy there Riki- I’ve got you.” Odi held Riki and slowly sat him down again in his chair. Nurse Selene brought him some water.

“Riki, drink this slowly, you must be careful, you have quite a bump on your head.”

Riki was confused, Odi was with Iason, so where was Iason? He looked at Odi, he had been injured also, his arm was bandaged and there where cuts and bruises all over his face. Nurse Selene noticed his arm began to bleed again, probably from Riki gripping him tightly as he fell.

“Let me change your bandage, it will only take a moment.” Odi gave Selene a nod as she went to retrieve a first-aid kit.

“Odi, where’s Iason? He was with you wasn’t he?” Riki was trembling, “I tried looking for him, we were separated for a moment, then the ship was attacked and I found Katze, he’s hurt bad and was in surgery for so long.”

Odi frowned, “Riki, I don’t know where everyone is except for Daryl and Toma; they’re on the third floor, that’s where they took all the Attendants and Pets. Iason was between Ayuda and me, then the hatch in front of us blew off, and there was this bright light. I pushed Iason down, but I was pulled off and beaten by someone with tremendous strength. I’m sure it was a Class-C Bio-Droid. They were mostly used for commando missions by the Elite Guard, in the early days of Jupiter’s rise to power.

Ayuda and Iason were shot with tranquilizers and taken, but it was pretty sloppy; the hole they made caused the escaping oxygen to pull us towards the exits. If it wasn’t for the emergency shields, I would have been sucked out into space.”

Riki looked on as Odi recalled being knocked out by flying debris and losing consciousness. “I awoke just a while ago. I was at a different facility when I was identified as Lord Mink’s bodyguard and brought here hoping to find Iason.”

Riki felt tightness in his chest. So Iason was taken, his greatest fear had come to be, and now he didn’t know what was to become of him.