Thread: Outlaw Rising (Frelance & darkangel76)

STARSHIP GYPSY DANCER, CIVILIAN CLASS, ILLUMINATI ROYAL VESSEL Destination, Planet Themis. Space was so cold, nothing like the warmth of Helios. Laelestra Quentin paced back and forth dreaming of the warm rays of the sun back on her home planet. How she longed to be back there, walking through the gardens on the palace grounds. She could almost smell the sweet scent of lilacs and gardenias as she closed her blue eyes and allowed her mind to drift. But the air on the ship was cold, her body shivering with each step she took. Just how far was it to Themis? Her parents had said it would take a few days to reach the vacation planet. But that was far too long and she was growing impatient. As it was, they'd already been traveling for over a day. She wanted to be back home where it was familiar, where it was safe. Laela's lips twisted into a pout as she meandered toward one of the windows looking out into the black void. In the distance, she saw tiny dots winking at her. Odd. They didn't look like stars. Just what were they? Suddenly, the lights turned to red and the sirens began to blare at a deafening sound. ALERT! ALERT! SYSTEMS ARE DOWN! came the artificial voice over that was the ship's. What? Laela whispered mostly to herself, her hands moving to cover her ears. Incoming! came a shout, one of the royal security guards. People began to race about the ship. Laela was more than confused. Just what was going on, what was happening? Frightened, Laela began to head toward her parents' quarters. She knew they'd know what to do and their room wasn't far off. Her copper-colored skirts swished about her tiny body, skimming across the floor as she ran. Her dark hair fell down and out of place due to all the chaos and confusion. But it hardly mattered. Too much was going on and she was terrified and uncertain of anything any longer. When she reached her parents door, she tried to call them using the comm button. It didn't work. Tears welled in Laela's eyes. Frustrated, she banged against the metal door, screaming and hoping it would just somehow open. But, it didn't. Suddenly, strong arms pushed her away from the door, a swarm forming in the corridor. Escape pods are being jettisoned, came a gruff voice that Laela didn't recognize. She glanced at his arm and saw the Illuminati seal emblazoned on the band he donned, marking him one of the elite guards. She just nodded, letting him lead her to where she knew she needed to go. My parents! Laela shouted once they reached the pods. The guard remained silent as he shoved her into the pod, readying it to be jettisoned to what was hoped to be safety. They were near enough to Themis. Maybe she'd be lucky enough to land there. As the pod door shut, she looked into the face of the guard. He held up a hand in a gesture of 'farewell'. Just as he was about to hit the button promising escape and safety, she saw him brutally wrenched away. Her eyes went wide and she let out a scream, crouching down as fear coursed through her and the dim lighting in the pod turned to black. STARSHIP NIGHTSHADE, MILITARY CLASS, ILLUMINATI ELITE VESSEL Orbiting Planet Themis. Reisa Amis could barely feel her arms or her legs any longer. The manacles they used to hold her down were the strongest steel and hardwired to a machine that could send a whopping voltage coursing through her body at any time they wished. She hated the shocks most of all. They made her see things, things better left unseen. Her vision clouded as she peered through the barely see-through hood that had been thrown over her eyes. It was silly really, the whole get-up. She knew exactly where she wasabove her home planet, above Themis. She thought about her parents as she let her body slump against the rigid platform rigged to hold her up. It was cruel really. They'd told her that her parents had been alive, had done it to keep her hopes up, make her believe she had a life worth striving towards if she let them into her mind...work their magic. The taste was so bitter now, all those damnable lies! She remembered when she first realized that her parents were actually dead and that the whole time they'd been using her, trying to turn her into their perfect puppet, a killing machine for the Illuminati. Reisa wasn't one to be trifled with and her parents would not die in vain. Until her last breath, she'd see to it that their legacy lived on. And time was certainly running out. Her blue eyes fluttered shut, but she refused to shed tears. Not in front of these people. They didn't deserve to see her cry. No. She would not break for them, not ever. She remembered the cruel words of Dr. Sophie Bracken, that woman's voice like acidic poison. 'If we can't rehabilitate you, then we'll eliminate you.' We're orbiting Themis, came a voice. Reisa just smiled. She knew her fate. It wouldn't be long now. She'd heard whispers about the cruel broadcasts the Illuminati were preparing to make. Yes, she was to be the example to any and all who dared broach the idea of standing up against the Illuminati. The Illuminati. The very word sickened Reisa. Everything they stood for was a lie. They prospered while everyone under their rule lived in poverty and fear. To speak up got you killed or worse, thrown to their doctors where they scrambled your brains. It was horrific! And it had to be stopped! She hoped that her death only caused more to rise up to the cause. The flame could not be extinguished now. It needed to burn brightly. Now, more than ever! Prepare the traitor, came another voice, a rough hand pulling the hood off of Reisa's head. Her blonde hair was a wild tangle of curls as it framed her face, her blue eyes squinting, taking in the harsh light from inside the ship. We will be going live soon.