Beyond the Rim
Ranior

The roar of the waterfall muted as soon as the door slid shut behind us.

Inside, we walked down a marble hallway, fountains cascading into pools along the wall, some adorned with sculptures, some nearly obscured by plants.

They shoved us into the elevator, which rose to Level 8 and stopped. The doors opened and we stepped out, a gold-inlaid pond shimmering on both sides of a long marble path.

At the very end of the pathway sat a carved, throne-like chair. And on it sat a woman in a white, jewel-adorned suit.

Long golden hair fell past her shoulders; the rest of it was upswept in a braid. Large blue eyes appraised us.

She rose, her long white cape swishing as she stepped toward us and looked us up and down. “Who do we have here? Intruders?” Her voice was amused, smooth as honey. I didn’t know if she was welcoming us, or preparing to punish us.

“All we want is a com system to contact Center,” I said, “then we can get out of here.”

She smiled. “I am Ranior. I own this planet, you see, and I don’t like it when people get too…close.” She stepped up to me, slid a cold finger along my jaw.

“It’s not legal for anyone besides Center to own planets,” said Rock.

She laughed. A musical laugh that hit all the wrong notes.

“Mm, yes, that is a problem, isn’t it?” She stepped toward Rock and touched his chin. He jerked away. She slapped him and the man behind him struck him to his knees.

He glared up at her, his spiky black hair sticking up like knives.

“No one knows you’re here, gentlemen, I trust? That is, if you are just innocent travelers.”

“No, we’re not spies or anything,” I said. “I mean, we did illegal things to get here, so—who cares if you own the planet? We don’t—”

A cold finger touched my lips. “Oh, my dear boy. You don’t get it. I didn’t only do illegal things to get a planet. I have a planet so I can do illegal things.

“Things, such as—” She nodded. A sharp pain hit my legs. I stumbled to my knees.

She grabbed my chin, forcing my face upwards. “Yes, very nice. Sculpted, fine-boned. A little too thin, maybe, but the hair makes up for it. Brilliant shade of red—we don’t often get that. Is it natural, boy?”

“Yes, but—”

She released my chin. “And this one. Handsome, rugged. Very strong.” She cupped Rock’s chin in her hand. He jerked away. “And feisty!” she laughed. “Yes, these are the kind I want. If you want models of what to look for, Kaza, Vane, look no further than this. But before we decide where exactly they fit into our operation, I need to know if they really are just two lost lambs.” She nodded, and something pricked my arm.

Blackness swallowed me.