TALES OF THE RELIANT

LISA & THE MERCENARY

Lisa awoke to find herself alone in a dark room strapped to an interrogation slab that was standing upright. She had been on a diplomatic mission on the planet Rinna. The last thing she remembered was seeing a stranger wearing a dark black helmet and matching body armor approached her and aimed a blaster rifle at her and fired, stunning her.

She could not fathom why anyone would want to do anything like this to her. She wasn't like John Yager and had accumulated many enemies who seemed to be chomping at the bit to get their revenge on him for whatever reason. Then she recalled her days during the Resistance during the Morlon war where she and her fellow Resistance fighters fought against-and kiled many-Morlons. But Morlons, despite all of their brutality, were not known to carry a grudge against those who fight and even kill them during combat. For them, death during war at the hands of their enemy is a badge of honor for them. Of course, she reasoned every species had their exceptions, and she assumed that could include Morlons. And, of course, it could have been one of John's various enemies using her to try to lure him out.

Damn you, John, Lisa thought to herself as she struggled against the metal restraints that kept her pinned to the metal slab. What have you gotten me into this time?

Right then, the armored stranger who had approached her and abducted her entered the room. She turned her head and looked at her.

"Who are you?" Lisa demanded of the stranger. "What do you want from me?"

The stranger said nothing.

"My name is Lisa Steiner. I'm the first officer of the Alliance ship The Reliant."

"I know who are you, Lisa," the stranger finally said. "In fact, I know you probably better than you know yourself."

Lisa narrowed her eyes at the stranger. "Do I know you?"

Yes, you do, Lisa." The stranger removed their helmet, and Lisa's eyes grew wide with shock when she saw that familiar blond hair fall about the woman's shoulders and those familiar blue eyes staring back at her.

"Hello, Lisa. It's been a long time."

"Patty."

"Yes, Lisa. It's me. I'm glad you still remember me."

"How could I forget you?" Lisa replied with more than a hint of anger in her voice.

"The last time we saw each other was when we were fighting together in the Resistance against the Morlons."

"I was fighting against in the Resistance against the Morlons," Lisa was quick to point out. "You just got off on torturing and killing them."

"And what's wrong with that?" Patty stepped up closer towards her. "The way I see it, the only good Morlon is one that's good and dead."

Lisa shook her head. "I see you still have a bloodlust against Morlons."

"And why the hell wouldn't I? You saw what they were like during their occupations, how sadistic and brutal they were. And still are. And now they're our damn allies."

"And your answer was to be just as brutal and sadistic like they were."

"You're damn right, Lisa. That was the only way to defeat them."

"I didn't believe that then and I don't believe that now. And, deep down, neither do you."

She pointed at her. "Don't try to push your phony Alliance platitudes on me. I did what had to be done, what nobody else was willing to do."

"And don't try to convince me what you did was right and just. The truth was, you got off on what you were doing to those Morlons we captured."

"Well, I didn't see you try to stop me."