Aleia's Dragon

Play Time Is Over

"Ma'am, are you sure it was wise to meddle with Aleia's ship like that? I feel guilty knowing that we may have caused her death."

"Aleia is not dead. And as for your feelings, get rid of them.You will never make it to the top with me if you insist on feeling everything." Mehana gazed at her companion, "Then again there may not be room for you."

"Now let's not be like that. It's just hard to grasp. You and Aleia were friends-."

Mehana turned to cast a furious green-eyed glare on the stocky man. "As long as Aleia had potential in the federation we were never friends. We've always been enemies, except now it will be more widely known." Mehana smiled a cat like smile as she imagined Aleia's reaction to her ship wreck. Aleia was known throughout the federation as being the best pilot. She was a sharp thinker, her tactical strategy couldn't be beat, and she had common sense. All of those things left a bad taste in Mehana's mouth.

"Still, killing a member of the federation-"

"Aleia isn't dead! Unfortunately." Mehana growled. "Besides, it is the federation's mission to remove unnecessary obstacles. We are doing just that. With Aleia out of the picture I can raise to the top in the ranks. Now enough talk about her, I need to think." Mehana closed her eyes. She could see her checklist in her mind. 1. Get rid of Aleia. Check. Now it's on to the next item.

Opening her eyes she returned to the data she'd been studying before Si had interrupted.
"Hmm..." Mehana studied the planets statistics. "It won't be difficult to overtake this planet. Fickleberry Sportal has nearly no defenses. A planet run by a bunch of farmers." She snorted.

"Shall we take it this afternoon then?"

"No, I have something special planned for these farmers."

"I thought you hated farmers."

"I do."

"But wasn't your father a farmer?"

"Yes, these people shall get exactly what I wish I could've given my father. Come dear Si, we have planning to do."

"Shall I call Ally Condra and her gang to help us?" Si asked.

"No, my dear Si, I believe it is time that we develop a 'gang' of our own." Laughing in a highly grating way, Mehana turned back to the statistics. This would be the greatest accomplishment anyone her age or rank had ever taken on. She would succeed. First a planet. Then... Well the bounds would be limitless to her.

----

Aleia was in the drawing room waiting for Derrik. It had been over an hour since he left to retrieve her ship. She sighed and sat down in his large arm chair. She'd never seen a chair so large. What was taking him so long? She groaned. She would feel much better if he would've just given her the means to escape this planet. She didn't have time for these games and debates.

"Aleia, we must have a conversation now. Who are you really and what are you doing here?"

Aleia tried to hide her surprise that she hadn't heard him enter the room. She should've been paying closer attention to her surroundings, people get killed for lack of attention.

"You should touch up on your interrogation skills." Aleia said.

Derrik raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "I'm not interrogating you. Yet. That was a beginning for a conversation."

"Well your conversation needs some work. We don't need to bother with all of this. The only thing I need from you is a way off this planet."

"Aleia, you saw the people's concern with the unknown ship. If they knew the ship belonged to you they would be paranoid with fear."

"They are a very skittish people."

"They have reason to be." Derrik solemnly stated.

Aleia raised a questioning brow.

"This is a dangerous time to live in."

"Well, we can agree on that one point at least."

"I'm sure we could find a lot to agree on if we looked close enough." Derrik murmured as he studied the beautiful mysterious woman sitting in his dragon sized chair. She is stunning, Derrik thought he allowed his eyes the pleasure of enjoying her beauty. Long red brown hair reached far down her back. Her radiant gray eyes nearly smoldered with feelings he couldn't decipher. Her features were so small and feminine.  She was everything a woman should be. Strong and beautiful. She made Derrik feel things he never imagined he was capable of feeling. How did she do it?

The room fairly radiated with the electricity of emotions.

"Sir, you have a video transmission in the communications room."

Derrik reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Aleia. "Who is it?"

"A woman named Mehana. She says its urgent. She attempted to speak with the townsfolk but they wouldn't speak with her, they directed the call automatically to you since she said it was important."

Aleia barely withheld her gasp at the sound of the woman's name. She knew Mehana, it was well that she knew the woman. She was nothing but trouble. Viciously cruel, she would stop at nothing to achieve her selfish goals.

Derrik spared Aleia a quick appraising glance before he turned. "Excuse me, Aleia." He followed Dax from the room.

Alesia counted to seven before she slipped from the room to follow Derrik and Dax. She had to hear what Mehana had to say. Why was she contacting Derrik. It could only be for bad purposes.

Aleia stepped into what Dax had called the communications room and she almost gasped. The room was filled with high tech equipment. She had never seen the likes of it before. The federation had always prided itself on having the most up to date equipment but theirs was nothing like this. And to imagine that  this was hidden in a backwater cave. Aleia would've never suspected it.

Derrik waited until Aleia stepped into the far corner of the room before he keyed acceptance for the transmission. He had been delighted with her surprise. This room was one of his prides.

"Hello. I am Mehana." A woman spoke from the screen.

"Why are you contacting me?"

"I have a message for you. It will not be long before you and your people are annihilated."

Derrik frowned. "How do you know this? Where have you gotten this information?"

Mehana smiled cheerfully. "Because I'm planning your destruction as we speak." She purred.

Derrik cleared his throat. "Well I thank you for the warning. We shall begin preparing our defenses and strategy immediately. It was kind of you to alert us."

"Kindness had nothing to do with it. I merely wanted to give you a head start on digging your graves. That way it'll be less work for me when I arrive to overtake Fickleberry Sportal."

"Good luck to you." Derrik keyed the end to the transmission. He sat silently for several seconds. Finally he spoke. "Aleia. It is past time we've had a conversation." His voice was no longer warm and friendly. It was now hard and cold as stone. His people had been threatened. Play time was over. "You know her."

"Yes."

He slowly spun in his chair. His violently purple eyes seemed to burn into Aleia. "We will talk now." He said in a low voice.