MENTAL ESSENCE
PAGE 85
     It took the pirate over an hour to regain his senses.
    "You have been captured.  Now, we have a few questions.  Will you answer them without duress?" Trent asked.
    The pirate looked around.  He quickly noticed his previous captives no longer wore their collars.
    "I will tell you nothing.  Now let me go.  Let me go now," the pirate demanded.
    "You are about to experience some extreme pain.  Slap the floor when you will answer our question," Trent said.
    "I say nothing," the pirate proclaimed.
    "OM, agitate his pain centers," Trent thought to OM.
    The pirate immediately began twisting and screaming.  After just a few seconds he began slapping the floor.
    "Okay. Okay.  What do you want to know?" the pirate asked.
    "Where are these beings relatives?  If I cannot verify your answer you will die in the extreme pain you have just experienced," Trent told him.
    "Okay.  Some are on Lattoia.  I've never been told more than that.  Umit Tarr has most killed within a few days.  My job is to manage some of those we keep for attack missions," said the pirate.  He could tell his former captives would were anxious to kill him.
    "Umit Tarr is your leader?" asked Trent.
    "No.  He's the right had of Kripra.  Kripra is our leader.  He will hunt you down for this.  You're as good as dead.  All of you," the pirate said.
    "There are many references to those beings on his storage system.  Once we get to Lattoia we can extract more info from his associates," OM said.
    "Stop his nervous system," Trent ordered.
    The pirate fell limp.

    "Put it in the jettison tube.  We will send it into that gas giant on the way to Lattoia.  Place the dead being in the pirate ship.  OM, can you program it to continue on the same flight path as the transport he came from?" ordered Trent.
    "Yes.  I will have to emit a distress message, and stop when it encounters some kind of authority," OM said.
    The former captives were extremely emotional.  They knew their families were dead.
    "It will take seven hours to reach Lattoia.  We will work out an attack plane after some close-up reconnaissance.  You will find quarters through there," Trent stated pointing to set of double doors.
    "All five of us?" asked Jull Nombus.
    "The Wollen be having many military trained," said C. G. Lock.
    "They pose no threat to this ship.  Get some rest," Trent said.
    The former captives slowly shuffled made their way to the barrack area.
    "Ship, let us drift awhile, and do some reconnaissance with the info on the pirate's transport data base.  Try and locate the families of those taken and pinpoint the pirates and their transports where possible.  Oh, and copy as many of their data bases as possible," Trent ordered Ship.
    Ship discovered only one family still alive from those taken captive.  The females were as sex slaves and divided among the pirates.  Kripra was hold up at a resort compound.  The pirates and those male captives were housed at two different sites outside a city called Lexton.  Communication logs indicate the families were disposed of by being shot and left in their homes, ejected into space once taken or dumped in isolated areas.
    "Coming up on Lattoia. Wake our guests please," Trent said to OM.
    Trent was standing in front of a large screen displaying a map Lattoia.
    "Have you found our families?" asked Jull Nombus.
    "I have located only one family.  They were taken two days ago.  There is a father and two sons that are to become as you were.  I am sorry about your families, but it seems the pirates have kept only the young females alive.  The upside is there are sixty-three females we can rescue, and one hundred and sixteen male captives.  The pirates' number twelve hundred or there round abouts," Trent answered.

    "I hate to ask again, but just what are all five of us going to do exactly?" asked C. G. Lock.
    "Each of us will take a location and free the captives," Trent replied.
    "Yeah.  About that idea.  No," said Lius Tippen, one of the former captives.
    "The pirates will be unconscious.  All you need to do get the keys and unlock the cells.  What you do with the pirates is up to you." Trent said.
    "What will you be doing?" asked Jull Nombus.
    "I will free the female captives, and try to organize reunions and repatriations," Trent answered back.
    The former captives could only look at each other as if to say, "right, good luck with that."
    "Here comes three more ships we can use," Trent said pointing the dots moving across the screen.
    A few minutes later the former captives were explaining the current state of affairs to the newly released fellow former captives.  The two pirate handlers that accompanied the new releases did not fare well.
    "Are we ready OM?" Trent thought to OM.
    "Ready.  As soon as they get close to their targets, I will render everyone within a mile who is not a pirate, operating a machine or moving vehicle unconscious," thought OM.
    "Ship, as soon as these guys are on their way and out of sight we will head to our targets," Trent thought to Ship.
    "Ah, excuse me.  We are ready.  And by the way, who are you exactly?" asked C. G. Lock.
    "Trent.  Just call me Trent," Trent answered.
    "So much for maintaining anonymity," thought OM.
    "I will change after this operation.  Nobody will believe I am the same guy.  They will think there are copycats running around. Eventually, maybe, the name Trent will act as a deterrent.  Besides, there is no way to explain what we have shown them so far," Trent thought to OM.
    "Point.  Okay, we are there," OM thought to Trent.
    The former captives launched.
    "Ship, here we go," Trent said to Ship.
    Ship pierced the sky, then stopped in a court yard outside the resort where Kripra was staying.