Born in Sin [BOOK 1]

Chapter 7

You failed Tamara. I don't think you realize just how vital... that information was to us." A loud thud echoed within the stone prison, sounding it's cracking noise through the halls. "We told you to retrieve the information. And what did you do?" Cloth shredded to pieces by a dull blade. "You sent the lowest." A hit. "The biggest sack of shit." Another groan. "The pain in my ass...!" A steel-toed kick snapping ribs. "Scumbag of a Vaulkarian!"

Tamara coughed up another mouthful of blood onto the stone floor. The taste of iron and copper not only coated the insides of her mouth; but the smell made her head spin as it wafted up her nose, making it difficult to defend herself. She could only groan and writhe with pain as the sick bastard above her beat her down. If only he hadn't jumped her like he did... oh boy would he have been sorry. She almost felt embarrassed that she had been caught so easily off guard. She had been on her way to her private quarters when out of no where she was slammed into the wall and brought into a choke hold; it had all gone so fast she couldn't process what had happened until she woke up in the holding cells.

Yes, Neo didn't deliver; and when she went to go check with Gerald, the squeamish Durkanese that always seemed happy to get Neo into trouble, she learned the entire operation had been compromised and Neo was lucky to be alive considering how long he had been captured.

This however caused immediate problems for Tamara. Not only did she report back to her CO empty handed, she had to suffer a disciplinary action and was denied her week's pay. And if that wasn't bad enough, she currently had the commander of the entire Sonar fleet kicking her in the spleen.

"You're just mad at him because he gets more ass than you do in a day," she choked out only to receive another blow to the face with his combat boots.

"He's a thief. A terrorist. A murderer. One of the Galaxy's most wanted criminals and you think I act this way for such a puny matter?!" Dun'mar grabbed Tamara by the shoulders and raised her up against the bloodied wall.

She could only give a weak, hate filled chuckle, "Glad to know you admit you're smaller than him. Must be only your ego that's big."

That got her a knee to the gut.

"Do you think I enjoy this?! That you're so special?! I could be doing a hundred different things than wasting my time with you! You had your chance and you wasted it on him." Dun'mar dropped Tamara and turned to the guards who stood watch outside. "Teach her a lesson." The guards responded with a salute and parted so Dun'mar could escape as they turned towards her. The grey skinned Andoran growled, grabbing Tamara by the shirt; his clawed hand ripping more than just her clothes.

"You can fucking try..!" She growled out in anger. A renewed strength boiled in her; enabling her to rip her hand free from his grasp, and hurl one good punch into his jaw that sent him stumbling backwards.

"You bitch!" He exclaimed. "Attacking a commanding officer... You just signed your death warrant."

Neo made coffee silently while he pondered how he would describe Tamara to someone as simple minded as a Queen's serving girl. But then again, she was no ordinary girl.

"She's kinda like a mom, sorta like a sister," he smiled while his coffee steam swirled into the air. "She's gotten me through a lot of shit in the past."

"You sound very fond of her,"Jacquelyn admired. She wished she knew what that sort of camaraderie felt like.

"I am. She's... probably the most important person to me." Neo gave her a quick smile before walking over and sitting down onto the couch across from her.

"Why does she need the codes? Surely thieves can't use them for anything..." Jacquelyn pondered more to herself than him, but he answered her anyway.