by Robin Roseau
“She will surrender to the humans. She knows nothing, but her surrender will serve as a distraction. Your admiral and our ambassador dance with words, but the admiral’s daughter told us what we need to know.”
“I find that unlikely.”
She stepped all the way to me and brushed my cheek. “She told us how to learn what we want.”
“We want peace.”
She brushed our cheeks. “You want peace. Your admiral wants far more.”
I let myself enjoy what she was doing, and even gave a little gasp of pleasure. On either side, Liberty and Annalise began touching, and that also felt good.
“Selena did not free herself,” said the voice. “She is becoming owned by Mary, Liberty, and Annalise.”
“That’s right,” Mary said.
They touched. They stroked. I began panting.
“Aurora is owned,” said the voice.
“Excellent,” Mary said.
I opened my eyes. “Why?” I whispered.
“She was a weak leader,” Mary replied. “Come with us now.”
“No.”
They tugged on my arms, and I let them pull me to the door, but then I said, “We should go dancing. I’ll dance with all of you.”
Mary stepped into me, pushing me against the bulkhead wall, Liberty and Annalise still holding my arms. She pressed our mouths together, and I found myself panting into the kiss.
But then the voice said, “Selena is resisting.”
Mary pulled way and looked into my eyes. “You want to be ours.”
“We should go dancing at the restaurant,” I said. “And you should answer my questions.”
She caressed my cheek. “No.”
“I won’t be able to resist you if we dance.”
“You can’t resist me now.”
“Three questions.”
“Ask them here.”
“At the restaurant.”
“Ask them here, and I’ll decide.”
“Did you know we were here? Do you want to kill us all? What do you want?” I smiled. “Do you know the answers, Mary?”
“I do,” she said. “Where is your home world?”
“I haven’t asked any questions like that.”
“How fast is your ship?”
“I didn’t ask any questions like that, either,” I said. “I am only asking if peace is possible.”
“Peace is possible if you come willingly.”
“Do you believe I want peace?”
“Yes,” Mary said. “We do.” She pressed against me again, brushing my body. “If you come with us, our people will have peace. I promise.”
“Answer my other questions, Mary.”
“Come with us, and I will.”
“Answer now.”
“I guess we do this the hard way. Hold her.”
Liberty and Annalise pressed my arms tightly to the bulkhead, and then Mary dropped down to the decking before me. She wrapped her arms tightly around my legs, and then I realized she had rope.
“No!” I screamed. I began to struggle in earnest.
“Selena is overwhelmed by numbers,” said the voice. “And her struggles are ineffective.”
I continued to struggle, but I wasn’t able to free my arms, and my attempts to kick Mary failed. She bound my legs.
“Selena’s will is free,” said the voice.
“That won’t matter for long,” Mary said.
“I thought you said you wanted peace.”
She finished with my legs and stood back up. Then turned me, pressing me tightly against the bulkhead, then pulled my arms behind my back. These, she also tied, and then she pressed against my back. “No. I said peace was possible. You are the key to peace.”
“The khalenzi have committed themselves,” said the voice. “If Selena is seen, the entire ship will know, and there will be war.”
“No,” I whispered. “Mary, stop. No war. Please, no war.”
“We’re carrying you,” she said. “If you want no war, you will not fight us further, and you will not seek to call for assistance.”
Then they picked me up, and they carried me to their territory. We weren’t seen.
I didn’t know where anyone was.
* * * *
They took me to a lounge. Others were there, humans serving their khalenzi owners. I saw Joy and Anne, Tiffany and Paityn.
“Joy is owned. Anne is owned. Tiffany is owned. Paityn is owned.” They were the humans I saw. “Aurora is owned. Pandora is owned. Ariana is owned. Gail is owned. Sasha is owned. Selena’s will is free, but she is a prisoner. Mary, Annalise, and Liberty have one hour to own Selena, or her absence will be noted.”
They set me on a lounger and rolled me over. Mary sat beside me and began stroking my face. “You will answer my questions.”
“I will not.”
“You will, for peace,” she said. “You will, because you will like the peace I offer. It is better than the war if you do not surrender.”
“You want our secrets.”
“I will answer your questions, if you surrender to me.”
“No.”
“Or we will have war.”
“I can’t use what you tell me.”
She caressed my face. “Joy told us much. The others told us much, but Joy knew more than the others. She talked for hours before she surrendered so deeply she could talk no further. All of them have, now. Look.” She gestured. “They did not see us enter with you. Look at the way they attend to their owners.”
“Please let me go.”
“If I do, there will be war.”
“I won’t tell the admiral what you have done.”
“You are the secret to no war,” Mary said gently. “I will treat you very well if you declare you are mine. I will share you, if you tell me you are mine. I will not take all your mind, if you tell me everything I wish to know.”
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“You will, but it will take too long now. I thought I would be allowed all the time I needed.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“We want peace,” she said. Then she lowered her lips near my ear. “We want a different peace than you do.”
“Peace is peace.”
“No,” she said. “Your admiral wished a peace where humanity ruled us. Our ambassador wished the same peace as you, to share this world evenly.”
“We can still have that.”
“No, because our ambassador is taken, just like you will be taken before we are done, Selena. She looks upon her human owner as these humans look upon their khalenzi owners, as you will look upon me, and any others I wish to let have you. Tell me, are there others you fancy?”
“Mary,” I whispered. “What peace do you want?”
“I want the same peace your admiral wanted, but in reverse. Khalenzi will rule. Humans will thrive, but you will also serve us, and offer daughters to us. You are the secret, Selena.”
“You want our home world. You’re an invasion force.”
“No. We are outcasts.”
I froze. “Why?”
“Because we would not bow to one who wished dominion over all of us. We fled tyranny, and we didn’t come here to be under the tyranny of another species.”
“Then accept my peace.”
“I do not trust your peace. If you were the human leader, if all humans were like you, I would trust. But your admiral did not send herself to accept our book. She recognized the personal risk and sent you. You accepted this risk, because you had faith in peace. She fears more than you, and many more are like her than are like you.”
“Then let me go, and I’ll talk to them.”
“No.”
“Then why am I the key?”
“I have answered enough questions. Surrender to me, and we will have peace. If you fight, there is war, and death. We believe your ship can destroy ours, but this ship will also be destroyed. Our shuttle will self-destruct. The people on the planet below will not have y
our support, and they may live, but your people do not believe so. All will die if there is war. We would leave this planet to you, but we cannot. Our ship is deeply damaged and nearly out of fuel. We are less prepared to survive here than you are.”
“Mary speaks the truth,” the voice said.
“Humanity will thrive,” she said. “We are not cruel masters, and we are not many. We know secrets from settling other worlds, and we will share them. We will become your gods, and you will worship us, but we are kind gods.” She kissed me, then whispered into my ear. “My peace is better than war.”
She was right.
“I agree to surrender.”
* * * *
I fell hard, and I fell fast. They touched and stroked, and when I was half gone, they untied me, and then they undressed me, and then they touched me, and then the voice said, “Selena is owned by Mary, Liberty, and Annalise.”
Mary ordered me, and I knelt to her, gazing up at her. But then she stepped aside, and Liberty was there. I gave her the pleasures she asked, and then Annalise, all the while Mary whispering in my ear.
Then they dressed me in clothes similar to theirs, and Mary bade me to rise. “You must show us the backup data now.”
I smiled and took her hand. I led her to the shuttle bay, and from there into an access hatch. I brought the tools I would need. It took ten minutes to retrieve the backup. I handed it to her. “You must destroy it,” I said.
“No, Selena,” she said. “I am going to open it.”
“You cannot.”
“I will discover how.”
“You cannot. Only I can open it. And then only I can unlock the secrets contained.”
“Then open it.” She handed it back.
“I cannot do it here.”
“Then where.”
“I will show you. It is where you found me.” I led the way, and they followed me back to the observation deck. I moved to the window and looked at Vision, far below us.
“This is where you will open it?”
“Yes,” I said. “It is a beautiful planet.”
She stepped beside me and wrapped a scaled arm around my waist. “It is. You will be very happy worshipping me above this planet.”
“Perhaps I will. Mary, why do you need our secrets?”
“Humans will resist our rule,” she said. “We will tell them the truth. Submit to our rule, and we will remain here.”
“And if they do not submit?”
“We will leave, but we will carry the secrets with us, and we will trade them for a planet of our own.”
“To the one who sought to enslave all of you.”
“Yes. I do not wish this, but I wish my people to be safe. Your people will accept our rule. All we have taken agree, if we hold the secrets. Unlock it now, my pet.”
I looked at the window. And then I set my hand over the control panel. “Mary, I will allow you to save yourselves.”
“I do not understand.”
I turned to her. “We will talk.”
“You are my pet, and you will obey me.”
“We will talk, or we will both die.”
She looked down at my hand. “What have you done?” she whispered.
“What did they tell you about this package?”
“That you had it, and what it contains.”
“A copy of everything we couldn’t let you have.”
“No one knew you had it. I guessed. They said there were two copies. You were the one who could be risked because there is no one you love here.”
“That isn’t true. But there is no one here you could hurt enough for me to give this to you.”
“What have you done?”
“If this is opened incorrectly, it will destroy itself. In most of the ship, it would not be enough to cause significant damage. This is a weak point, and if this package destroys itself, it will also open a hole into space. You and I will be drawn out. I only need to remove my hand. If you try to take the package, you will remove my hand. If you kill me, you will remove my hand. If you try to move me, I will remove my hand.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“If you leave before we finish talking, I will remove my hand.”
“You love me. You are my pet.”
“I love my people,” I said. “Did the ambassador know your plan?”
“No.”
“So, we could walk away from this and accept her peace.”
“Yes. Please, Selena, do not destroy us.”
“You will offer the peace the ambassador offered,” I said. “You will offer my peace. I will contact the admiral and threaten her if she doesn’t agree.”
“Please don’t do this.”
“And then I will destroy this information. We will be unable to ever contact other humans. You will remain here, and humans and khalenzi will share this world, in proper peace.”
“Please, Selena.”
“I would willingly worship you, but you cannot have my people.” I gestured. “You two step into the corridor and hold tightly to a handhold. The emergency hatch will take several seconds to close.”
They didn’t wait but hurried from the room. Mary looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Do you accept my offer, Mary?”
“Please don’t do this!”
“I have to. You can live. Accept my peace.”
“I can never trust your admiral.”
“Trust me.”
She stared into my eyes and then said, “Yes. I trust you.”
I gestured with my nose. “That is a communications device.” I talked her through using it.
“Lieutenant-Commander, we’ve been wondering where you are.”
“Admiral,” I said. “Have you negotiated a lasting peace agreement?”
“The khalenzi ship is on its last legs. We’ve agreed to allow them to integrate with us.”
“Under human rule.”
“Of course.”
Mary gave a gasp. “I told you,” she whispered.
“Admiral, I am in observation deck Copenhagen. I do not believe you are negotiating with anyone in a position of authority. I am.”
“I have the khalenzi ambassador.”
“I imagine she has surrendered herself to you,” I said. “Which I don’t entirely understand.”
“She has.”
“And in doing so, she lost authority to negotiate.”
“You also surrendered, and lost authority to negotiate.”
“Admiral, I am standing beside the observation deck port, and I am holding secrets the khalenzi want.”
“You’re a traitor to your people!” she hissed.
“No, I am not. We will accept an equal peace between both our peoples.”
“We can never trust her,” Mary said.
“Admiral, when you have completely surrendered yourself,” I added. “I will destroy the secrets.”
“You’re a traitor!” she hissed again.
“No. If I had not negotiated this treaty, the khalenzi shuttle would have self-detonated with sufficient power to destroy our ship. My choice was to give them the secrets, or to help everyone to die. I made a third choice, an equal peace. You will surrender yourself, Admiral, to secure the final peace. Or I can destroy the secrets now, and we can see if the remaining khalenzi are bluffing.”
“I’m not,” Mary said.
“It is your choice, Admiral. I am going to die, either way. The only question is whether you want to call their bluff. I await your orders, Admiral.”
For the longest time, she was silent. “How do I know I can trust you’ll destroy the box?”
“If you aren’t calling their bluff,” I said, “then what matters is this box be destroyed.”
“Correct.”
“I imagine you are watching me on the monitors,” I said. “Can you clearly see my hand?”
“Yes.”
“You do not need to trust me. I need to trust you. I can scramble the data before I destroy it entirely.”
“I’m listening.”
“Accept their offer for an equal peace. Agree you will surrender yourself. I will scramble the data. Once you have surrendered yourself, I will finish destroying the box. Or call their bluff, and I’ll destroy the box immediately. It is still your call, Admiral.”
There was a pause, and then she said, her tone one of defeat. “Where do I surrender?”
“Mary?”
“Go to our lounge, and offer yourself, Calypso. You may leave Aurora as a gift to someone else.”
“I accept an equal peace and will do as you’ve said, Selena. I’m told they probably aren’t bluffing.”
“Are you watching, Admiral?”
I shifted my hand, and Mary said, “No!”
“I know what I am doing. Admiral, can you see?”
“Yes.”
I twisted, and the display said, “Scrambling data…” Mary stared at it, but she made no move to stop me. The scramble took time, but then the device said, “All data scrambled.”
“You could be bluffing,” said the admiral.
“You know I’m not, Calypso. Will you keep your promise?”
“Yes. Madden out.”
I bowed my head. “Now we wait.”
“Please, Selena,” Mary said. “Please be mine.”
“I must finish what I started. I’d like you to stay here with me until it’s time.”
“I will,” she whispered. She moved closer, and when she brushed cheeks, I let her.
“Selena is owned,” said the voice.
“I don’t understand,” Mary said. “You are mine. Ours.”
I didn’t answer. Instead I asked, “Did you know we were here?”
“Yes. We were going to use this world, but we found your probes, and we thought you would come. We retreated, but we left behind our own probes to watch you. We’ve been trying to make another world friendly for us. It was so long, and we didn’t understand how it could be so long. This is a rich world, and your people should have been coming.”
“What happened on this other world?”
“Accidents, and we were already weak. We were failing. And then we received word you were here, and with only one ship.”
“You came back.”
“The ambassador led us. We were desperate. We hoped for peace, but we needed to know your people.” Then she cocked her had. “Calypso has offered herself. They are beginning to claim her. It will take time.”
“You will make a proper peace,” I said.
