by Corin Cain
I step forward, and my voice is stern as I tell Tasha:
“I placed a member of your crew in danger. You are my prisoner. You are my responsibility – and therefore, so is the life and protection of those who serve you. You have my apologies, Captain Tasha – and hopefully you will see that such behavior is not tolerated on board The Instigator.”
Tasha remains silent – awed by what she’d just witnessed.
I step forward again.
“Now, ask me for a reasonable recompense, and I shall grant it – as penance for my mistake.”
Tasha steps forward. Her eyes are challenging. “I accept your compensation – and I ask for free run of your ship – for me, and for my crew.”
All eyes are on me – those of Tasha, Sawoot, and my own crew.
I’m left juggling the responsibilities of being a leader. I must be true to my word – not too lenient, but not too harsh.
Prisoners.
I have to remember that Tasha, Sawoot, and the other humans are still my prisoners – but my grounds for holding them is growing shakier by the moment.
My crew already knows I have no plans to turn Tasha or her crew in, and during my career I’ve even taken on the same less-than-legal assignments as the one they’ve committed.
Right now, we’re all in possession of stolen property. I have no legal basis for holding Tasha and her crew aboard my ship – not while I keep those twenty-six Orbs in my hold, and have no intention to return them any time soon.
And yet, I must hold her. I can taste how right she feels. There’s a real chance that Tasha is my Fated Mate – and until I claim her as my own, I’ll never know for sure. I’ll be left wondering if she’s the one – the destined woman my battle-brothers and I have been seeking our entire lives.
I take a deep breath, and my mind races. Eventually, I reach a decision.
“Captain Tasha – I hear your request, and I can offer you this: I cannot allow the men who tried to kill my crew to be free, but the remaining three of you will have free rein of the ship – under close supervision. That’s you, your first officer, and the technician; who I’m told did not willingly participate in the assault on my crewman.”
Tasha listens to this raptly.
“You will have free rein – but be accompanied at all times by the triad of Garrick. They’re the warriors who saved Sawoot from those would-be rapists.”
Tasha has fire in her eyes, and for a second I think she’s going to test me. If she oversteps her boundaries one more time, I’ll have to take her down a notch; and that will not be enjoyable for her, or aid me in determining whether or not Tasha is our Fated Mate. However, this is still my ship, and after what has just happened, it needs to be clear that everybody on The Instigator is required to follow my rules.
Perhaps understanding this, Tasha thinks better of her defiance, and nods.
“Thank you.”
My eyes narrow. I know how hard it must have been for her to give me that courtesy when she clearly resents me so much for putting her friend in danger. However, Tasha is smart enough to know the precarious situation I’m in. In fact, she might be wondering why I’m willing to give her anything, considering my crew is growing increasingly restless with my recent decisions.
Truth is?
The only reason I’m keeping this liability on my ship is because my instincts are screaming that she’s the one – and if Tasha is our Fated Mate, then nothing else matters. I’ll happily go Rogue, be placed on the top of the Kill List, and even face down the Aurelian Empire itself if I have a chance to be with my Fated Mate.
And, if that happens – at least I won’t have to worry about pesky laws anymore. I can spend my time hunting down and killing Toad criminals as I build my family around me. Fighting, fucking, and living life unbridled by all laws.
All laws – but not honor. That was the difference between my thinking and that of Kit and his triad.
Laws are rules written on a piece of paper. Honor is a code of right and wrong. Sometimes, they interject. Often times, they don’t. While abandoning the code of Aurelian law by going Rogue might mean I get to ignore the rules of engagement, or trading standards, or any other bureaucratic detail…
…it won’t make it right to commit rape, or indulge in slavery, or break any of the rules defined not by the politicians of the Empire, but by the Gods themselves.
Right and wrong. The only laws that are immutable.
I turn and study the blood-soaked floor beneath me.
“Send Kit and his triad out with full honors,” I say to the triad who’d been holding Kit and his men down.
I’ll give Kit that much. I owe him that much.
Kit, Gaul, and Anton will be shot out of the airlock – still dressed in their military uniforms, and saluted as fallen brothers rather than sentenced criminals.
It will be a grisly sight – to watch them stiffen into ice as they shoot off into space, without their heads attached to their corpses.
Their heads themselves will be cremated – the ashes throw out alongside their corpses. It’s gruesome, but honorable – and it’s the best I can do for these ill-fated three.
With a nod, I turn and I make my way out of the mess hall. My triad follows along behind me.
My heart is heavy. The balance of this ship is now in disorder. The chain of command is twisted. My own men are doubting my actions and motivations, and as long as Tasha remains on board, that situation will only get worse.
I stomp onward, lost in thought – and I’m almost at my chambers when I hear her behind me.
“Wait!” Yells Tasha.
I turn and see her at the end of the hallway. She’s following me – flanked by Sawoot and Garrick’s triad.
I wearily acknowledge her: “Yes?”
“I need to speak with you. Alone.”
That’s not what I was expecting. The anger in her eyes is clear – but now she wants to be alone with me?
I can’t get a read on her.
If she’s my mate, I’ll need to know how to manage her – because otherwise, she’ll be managing me.
8
Tasha
I must warn Captain Aelon of the incoming Toad attack.
If I don’t, it’ll be my fault – and it’ll be my fault that my own crew will be collateral damage in the firefight that follows.
Don’t get me wrong - I still resent Aelon for letting Sawoot be put in danger, but that resentment is a mirror of my anger at myself. It was my own lack of leadership that stopped Sawoot from being safe. I’m her captain, and the responsibility for her safety starts and ends with me. If those animals had raped her, it would have been my fault.
I don’t want to leave Sawoot when she’s vulnerable, but I trust the Aurelians who saved her. Garrick and his battle brothers don’t have the same primal hunger in their eyes as many of the other Aurelians on board The Instigator. They look at Sawoot and I with a protective edge to their expression.
Captain Aelon towers over me. For a moment, he’s silent – and then he nods.
“Very well.”
I steel myself for the confrontation that’s about to occur. I’ve been telling myself that the only reason I want to talk to Aelon is to warn him of the Toad attack I’m now convinced is coming...
…but that’s a lie. I even know that’s a lie, and yet I keep repeating it to myself.
The truth is – I need to know why Captain Aelon is risking everything for me.
His crew looks like they’re on the verge of mutiny because of his punishment of the men who tried to rape Sawoot. There’s clear and festering resentment of Aelon and his triad for hording time and attention with me. My ass might still be burning from the punishment Aelon inflicted on me, and my pride and my body might have suffered beneath the dominion of this Aurelian commander, but it’s clear that he’s given me much, much more leeway than any normal Aurelian would tolerate.
I have to know what is drawing Aelon to me so fiercely. He hasn’t even looked at
Sawoot, who is objectively far prettier than me, so I need to know his motivations.
Does he even know his own motivations? Other than his need to fight and fuck?
His triad wordlessly leaves Aelon’s side. Iunia and Vinicus glance at me as they walk past, and the hallway feels very small as the giants lumber by me.
I give Sawoot one last reassuring touch on the shoulder. She smiles weakly at me, wordlessly telling me it’s okay to leave her, and then she’s gone too; escorted by Garrick and his triad.
I’m now alone with Captain Aelon.
“Into my chambers,” he states, his voice resonating with the same undertone of rage as before, mixed with something new and intangible. It’s as if I can feel pain in his words.
I follow Aelon into his chambers, the door hissing shut behind me.
Aelon turns to face me. He has a weary look in his eyes. I know from experience that it’s hard enough being the captain of six crewmembers. Trying to lead hundreds of hyper-masculine, alpha Aurelians – each of whom want to be the leader themselves – must be like a battle of wills each and every day.
Aelon places his hands on his hips.
“I don’t allow women on The Instigator,” he tells me. “Women cause trouble between the triads – as you’ve already seen today. Aurelians have a lot of pride, and women draw up the worst of that side of us.”
I cross my arms.
“Well, you should have known something like that could have happened to Sawoot, then. You should have put guards at her cell – guards you trusted.”
Aelon strides to the drinks cabinet and pours amber liquid from a crystal decanter, before offering me a glass of the same. I push his hand away. He shrugs, downing the liquid in one swallow, before setting down the empty glass.
“Aye,” he admits, “I should have known. No man under my command has attempted anything like that before. The Bond drives men crazy.”
“The Bond?”
“Kit,” he explains. “The man whose triad tried to rape your friend. He thought Sawoot might be his Fated Mate, and he wanted her badly enough that the desire overwhelmed his mind. He was no longer thinking rationally. He’d succumbed to his basest desire.” The Captain looks down at me. “You don’t know what it is to be an Aurelian, Tasha. You don’t know what we are.”
Is he seriously trying to excuse the behavior of that bastard?
“He was a fucking rapist. He deserved to die.”
“Aye,” Aelon nods. “Yes, he did – and he did die for his crimes. But now – tell me, Tasha. What is it that you need from me?”
I have only hatred for the men who’d tried to rape my best friend. It’s even worse that there seems to be some connection between Aelon and those three – as if he personally mourns the loss of the worst kind of scum in the universe.
Aurelians live for thousands of years. That means he might have known the men he’d executed for centuries before today. How could he ever have allowed that type of person in his crew?
Then again – am I certain Chris would never hurt someone?
I look away, sensing once again a mirror between Aelon’s dilemma and my own.
“I need to warn you, Aelon. That’s why I had to come talk to you. The Toads you chased away might be gone now, but they’ll be back - I know it. They didn’t buy for a second that you didn’t have us onboard The Instigator – us, and the Orbs we stole.”
Aelon considers my words. His tongue comes out, licking his lips, and I suddenly can’t help but imagine how it would feel to have that huge tongue lapping at my body again.
Silently, the big man crosses the room and sits at the oversized table. Then, he motions wearily for me to sit in front of him. I sense that something is weighing on Captain Aelon. Maybe those Aurelians he executed were much closer to him than he admits.
“I’d rather not sit,” I answer, knowing the hard, wooden chair is going to be hell on my still-aching bottom. Aelon nods. He gets up, grabs a pillow from the sofa, and then tosses it to me wordlessly.
I nearly smile. I was half expecting the Aurelian to make some characteristic joke about the spanking he’d administered – another off-color comment intended to tease and infuriate me.
When I first met him, he’d have jumped on such an opportunity to mock me. Now, it’s as if Aelon feels every one of his hundreds of years.
I put the cushion on the chair and sit down in front of him. Even sitting on the pillow, I feel so small compared to this huge warrior.
“Explain,” he demands.
“It’s the cargo I had on board. Twenty-six Orbs. That’s in addition to the Orb that powers your own ship, and even the small Orbs in all the Orb-Blades of your crew – well over a hundred, right?”
Aelon bristles, narrowing his eyes.
“Well,” I continue, “Aurelians are normally a hard nut to crack for a Toad – that’s why that captain fled when you confronted him.”
“He fled because he was a coward,” Aelon snarls – with uncharacteristic vindictiveness. It’s like he has a personal vendetta against Toads in particular. “They’re all cowards, those slimy bastards.”
I don’t refute that – instead continuing:
“Aurelians are normally a tough nut to crack – but once that captain’s stopped pissing his pants, he’ll think back about encountering The Instigator and see an opportunity. I know, because I’d see it myself.”
Aelon says nothing, listening.
“Your ship is alone, isolated, and you’re not officially aligned with the Aurelian Empire.”
“The Instigator is a warship,” Aelon responds. “We have a fleet of Reavers on board. Batteries of las-cannons. Gods be damned, we have a battalion stationed on board.”
“You have a battalion stationed on that moon – along with most of your Reavers – and The Instigator might be fearsome, but she’s old. With enough reinforcements, and at the right time, the Toads could take you.”
Aelon bristles at the assumption.
“They’re too cowardly…”
“Greed outweighs cowardice – especially for a Toad – and the bounty of a fortune in stolen Orbs is going to make you a juicy target even for cowards. It’s all a tossup between profit and risk to their kind, and the balance of the two is closer than you might think. Captain Hoplan…”
“Hopper,” Aelon snaps, and I don’t correct him.
“…will consider his options, gather up like-minded fighters, and he’ll be back.”
“Then he’ll die,” Aelon snarls. “I have a fleet of Reavers. A battalion of warriors. Even with them stationed on the moon, I have enough manpower and firepower to raze a city from orbit. I don’t fear any Toad.”
I stare at the captain. There’s more to this bluster than a lack of fear. It’s as if he wants the Toads to come back and try their luck against him. I need to drill it into his thick skull that it won’t be just one or two attack ships that will come for The Instigator this time. It’s going to be a fucking fleet – one that will cut his ship apart, and then sift through the wreckage and floating bodies for those near-indestructible Orbs.
I shift in my seat. Even with the pillow, it’s uncomfortable.
“Look. Can you project the map?”
Aelon nods, commanding to the ship’s computer: “AI - project.”
The holographic display I’d spotted when I first entered this room appears in front of me. That moon, the planet Tarrion, The Instigator and blinking lights indicating Aelon’s troops, Reavers and mining colonies appear on the table between us.
“Okay,” I gesture towards the projection, “so, your battalion returns to the ship at night, and in the morning, they head to the moon’s surface to clear out those Scorp nests. They kill as many as they can during the day, and then they come back to the ship at night. Is that correct?”
Aelon nods wordlessly, waiting for me to continue.
“So, what I would do, if I was trying to take you on?”
His eyes narrow as I take on the role of a hypothe
tical assailant.
“Well, first I’d wait until you send the bulk of your men to the moon’s surface.”
“They’re close enough to assist The Instigator if anyone attacks.”
“Yes, that’s true – but if I was that Toad commander, once your ships land on the moon, I’d strike here, here, and here.” I point to three of the spread-out mining camps on Tarrion’s surface.
Aelon’s eyes narrow into slits.
“That’s cold-hearted. Innocent humans are working on those camps.”
I snort. He must be joking. “You’re thinking like a human.”
“How dare you!” He acts offended, but Aelon seems to laugh at that comparison.
“It sounds cold-hearted,” I clarify, “because Toads are cold-hearted – and cold-blooded. You know that as well as anybody.”
His eyes are so narrow now, they’re practically closed. I seem to have struck a nerve – and I wonder if Aelon might know the cold-blooded nature of Toads even better than I do.
“Aye,” he nods. “I know their nature well. Too well.” Then his eyes open a little. “You speak the truth, Tasha. I’m holding them to human standards – but Toad would have no compunction about killing hundreds if it served their purpose. Those disgusting frogspawn are without honor.”
“No argument here,” I nod.
I lean closer.
“Listen, Captain Aelon. I don’t know what sort of contract you have with the mining crews, but the Toads know you’ll be obligated to send reinforcements to protect those miners. Between the Scorp nests and protecting those miners, your ship will be left with a skeleton crew and few defenses at best. You think The Instigator is invincible – but with the right planning, a good commander could force you to split your forces up and spread them too wide to protect your ship.”
“A good commander,” Aelon nods. “A commander as smart as you.”
“I’m not smart – I’m just an opportunist – as are the Toads. They’ll be coming, they’ll pull a scheme like this, and they’ll bring enough attack ships to rip The Instigator to shreds.”
