by Vi Voxley
Naima thought that their customs were brutal, but it was nothing compared to how she felt about what the traders did.
It was certainly as far from respect as it was possible to go. The Chali didn't differentiate between an interesting rock and a human being. Both were only worth as much as someone would pay for them and once they lost their usefulness, to the garbage they went, side by side. They were the slave traders of the universe, the peddlers of dangerous goods and danger itself when it had a high enough price tag.
If something needed to be bought or sold and no one else was morally willing to touch it, the Chali were the people to go to.
Naima suppressed a shiver when Braen growled. For a moment she thought the general was going to end the talks just like that, by decapitating the android. She would have been very sorry to see that. Alona was nice. A pleasant change to hallways filled with stern Brions who would not meet her gaze.
"Where is your mistress?" Braen demanded, his voice so threatening it made Kerven tense up a little, expecting the same blow as Naima imagined coming soon. "I would have thought she was smarter than to make me wait for her."
"Lady Sinetha will be with you shor–" the android began to say, when its expression changed all of a sudden.
It began to speak in a different voice, unmistakably a real person this time, the slight tint of machine precision removed from the timbre.
"General," it said. "Forgive me. Sometimes it takes a moment to override Alona. I'm afraid we make them very independent."
In a way, Naima admired the Chali technology. It was completely unlike anything else and it suited their needs well.
The traders almost never left their home worlds or their gigantic space ships, whichever they chose for their home. Instead, they traveled around the galaxy and dealt with other species by proxies.
With Brions, it was undoubtedly the wisest move.
All Chali augmented themselves heavily, believing that human flesh was ultimately weak and not equipped for the level of precision they needed. Sinetha, the trader, was a cyborg. Naima had never met the woman, but she had met other traders on her journeys and could imagine them well.
The machinery she'd seen on the bridge of the Benevolent was built-in. While the Brions used technology to their advantage, the cyborg traders were one with their machines instead.
Their mechanical hands plugged into the consoles, allowing them to literally charge their bodies, as well as achieve dexterity beyond anything. That was how they built their wondrous androids, too. Every last one of them a piece of art.
The androids went out to the galaxy in their stead. The AIs were amazingly intelligent and had minds of their own, running the Chali ships and acting as stand-ins whenever needed.
Alona was an AI, but Sinetha was able to take control over the android any time she wished. Naima had seen the miraculous platforms and harnesses that broadcast whatever the trader was doing. By stepping onto one, they were able to control the androids like puppets.
Whatever they did, the android replicated. Whatever they said, the android broadcast. It was so perfect the androids even mimicked the facial expressions.
It would have admirable if it wasn't used for such purposes. The Chali had never been ones to give anything away freely, and the technology they used to control the androids was still mostly a mystery.
As soon as Sinetha took over and started speaking, Naima felt disgust for the being controlling the android.
Unlike her instant fondness for the android, Naima's first reaction was that she didn't like the Chali one bit. Sinetha's voice was honey, but there was something so utterly fake about it that it made Naima's insides crawl. It was unbelievable how much more human the AI sounded, how much more compassionate.
How can something heartless have more of a heart than a living being? she wondered.
Listening to Sinetha made Naima feel like she was drenched in the syrup of her voice. She was suddenly very glad Braen didn't like the Chali to begin with. The general seemed to have regained his composure.
"Satiate my curiosity then," Braen said, easier this time than when he’d reacted to the android. "You offered to help. What assistance could a Chali offer to Brions? Your android can't fight the Fearless."
The corners of the android's mouth tugged upwards in a humorless grin. It was horrible to watch. She knew AIs had personalities of their own and that meant by taking control over Alona, Sinetha was also morphing it into something it was not.
The visual was similar to someone being forced to smile by hooks pulling on the corners of her mouth.
"Are you so sure, General?" Sinetha asked. "Alona can take on any of your men and walk away without a scratch. She is programmed to know every fighting technique in the galaxy. She might even give you a fight."
Seeing the way Braen's eyes burned, Naima suddenly realized why the Chali hadn't come in person and brought her ship close enough for the Benevolent to fire, choosing to track them through space until Braen agreed to meet. Braen might have given the command to destroy the Chali and her ship just for disrespecting him like that.
The general's hand moved to the spear, with clear intention to accept that challenge.
"No," Naima shouted. "Braen, please don't – The android..."
It was miraculous to watch, in a way. Naima had known that as the general's gesha she would have some say in how he acted, but she would never have predicted anything like what happened.
Captain Gordon had loved discussing intergalactic power struggles with Naima. The man was military, after all, and like all warriors, he loved no other topic more than others of his kind. They had often argued who was the most powerful man in the galaxy, who was the cruelest, the most feared and so on.
Brion generals naturally featured heavily in those discussions.
Bottom line was, they could have ruled the galaxy if they wanted to. It was doubtful if even the combined forces of every other species in the Galactic Union could have stood against them if all Brions fought together as one.
Of course, it was a theoretical notion. The Brion Elders had been promoting peace for years now and even people who hated Brions the most couldn't deny they had honor that nothing in the universe could shake. They’d proven that a few times as of late.
The Galactic Union wasn't so easily convinced, though, at least not entirely. They considered all fifteen of the generals to be the most dangerous potential enemies alive.
Knowing all that, Naima was stunned to see Braen's hand freeze on its way to the spear. The man had held whole worlds at his mercy, but by her word, the general stopped. Braen glanced at her for a moment, and the ferocity in his eyes kicked the breath from her lungs.
"You are lucky," Braen growled, lowering his hand. "My gesha seems to have developed a fondness for your proxy."
"Good," Sinetha said cheerfully. "Alona is my offer of help, after all."
"I see no need for it," Braen replied dismissively. "We have all the AIs and drones we could ever want."
"But no androids?" Sinetha guessed. "I know Brions don't favor them. You consider it dishonorable for a machine to fight for you. I think Alona could help you when you reach the Darnetta system.
"Drones are fine, but on those dark, frozen worlds an android with heat vision might be useful. Drones don't talk, can't offer advice or insight. Alona could keep up with you, provide cover fire and even fight."
Naima looked at Braen, waiting for his reaction, and saw the general smile a feral grin. Alona's face twitched in what looked like fear to Naima. Apparently he had no problem scaring someone who was thousands of miles away from him.
She could see why.
"What's in it for you?" he demanded, the dark tone of his voice holding a warning.
Naima hoped that Sinetha understood it was in her best interests to tell the truth. The Benevolent likely wouldn’t live up to its name if Braen decided to go on a hunt for the Chali.
The android sighed. It was a curious motion coming from some
one who didn't actually breathe, but it was forced to mimic whatever Sinetha was doing.
"Personal gain," the trader said. "Of everything I've said to you, I know you can believe that, General. I want the Fearless. I will settle for a piece of it. I hear you can't actually kill the thing."
"For what purpose?" Braen asked, frowning. "If you seek to clone it or anything even close to it, you will be my next target."
"Nothing of the sort," Sinetha replied, the fake smile returning to Alona's face. "No, I want something much simpler. Memorabilia."
Naima gasped in horror.
"You what?" she asked, disgust plain to hear in her voice. "You will cut it up into pieces as fucking souvenirs?"
Alona turned to her, the android's bright gray eyes watching her with cold emptiness.
"Why not?" Sinetha asked, shrugging. "It doesn't matter what I think of it. There are plenty of people in the galaxy who would pay for that. What's it to you, Terran? It is a monster."
"I don't care," Naima snapped. "The Fearless is pure evil, but this is just as vile."
"Very well," Braen said, making Naima turn towards him sharply.
She wanted to protest, every inch of her being resisting what Sinetha was proposing. The general gave her a look that made her hold her tongue.
"Just one thing," Braen went on, turning his piercing gaze back to the android. "I will be taking Alona with us, not you."
The android glared as well as an artificial construct was able. To Naima, it looked like the light behind its glassy eyes turned brighter for a moment.
"I'm afraid that is impossible," Sinetha said. "Alona functions fine without me, but it is still just an AI. It needs me to make critical decisions. This is not up for debate."
"It really isn't," Braen replied calmly. "I wasn't asking you or starting a debate. I'm taking the android. If it behaves, I might let you have what you asked for. If I catch even a whiff of your presence, spying on me, I will feed your precious proxy to my mechs and we'll see how well it handles Brion battle drones. You will fall back with your vessel and cease following the Benevolent."
Alona was snarling, its features twisting and turning in Sinetha's fury.
"You forget, it's just a machine in the end," she hissed at them. "If you destroy it, I will transfer the AI to another proxy body."
"Go on," Braen replied. "That one will not be with me and you will lose even the slim chance you have now that I'll give you anything."
After a long silence, Sinetha gave a curt nod with Alona's body.
"Alright," she snapped. "I agree –"
"Fine. Now get out before I find you and we'll see how far your little ship can flee from me before I turn you to ash. And the next time you need something from me, you better show your face in person or I will cut down all your little toys until my face is the last thing you will ever see."
I have to hand it to him, Naima thought as Alona's eyes practically burned in its head and then Sinetha was gone in the blink of an eye. The man sure can ask nicely.
She looked at Alona standing at ease now, the android's features more relaxed and kinder than when Sinetha was controlling it.
"You think she'll keep her word?" Naima asked Braen, who was observing the android as well.
Wordlessly, the general led her away from Alona, who stayed behind with Kerven keeping watch over it. Once they were out of hearing range, Braen turned back to give it another cold look.
"I will hold her to it," the general said. "For your sake, I hope she does. I understand you like our new guest."
His words sent warmth through Naima's body, complementing the awe she'd felt before when the general had stayed his hand for her. It was an amazing feeling, empowering even, to know that such a man listened to her. That Braen actively tried to make her happy, to the point where he forgave a slight just for her.
Brions didn't do that. Not normally, at least.
At the same time, it was entirely horrifying. Wasn’t this exactly what she’d been afraid of?
Then she remembered.
"You aren't actually going to give Sinetha what she asked, are you?" Naima asked, wondering if Braen would change his mind for her sake again.
Braen grinned.
"No," the general said to her instant relief. "The Fearless is way too dangerous to be cut up like that and I will make sure that once I'm through with it, there won't be a piece of it left. No matter what, Sinetha can't have it. None of the Chali can."
Naima's eyes flickered to Alona, wondering if an android's hearing was better than a Brion's.
"Are you not worried that the trader will try to trick you?" she asked.
"I'm absolutely certain Sinetha is going to try," Braen nodded, his blue eyes filled by silent fury when Naima's gaze moved back to him. "That is why I accepted. I want to keep the android close to see what she really wants. Settling for a piece of anything is unnatural for a Chali. There is much she's not telling us, but perhaps the android will. If I had said no, she would have looked for other options."
"You want me to befriend Alona," Naima said, understanding. "To find out what Sinetha is after."
"If you can," Braen admitted almost sheepishly. "Until then, I can keep it close. The Chali are up to something and I will find out what it is."
More complications, she thought, but that misery was short-lived.
Despite everything, there was a smile on Braen's lips as he looked at her. A loving one, although his desire for her hadn't gone anywhere. It occurred to her that every time the general had her in his sights, that's how he reacted.
The mere sight of her was enough to give him joy. And once she considered it, Naima knew that she answered that with a smile of her own, every time.
It seemed fate had a stronger pull than she might have expected. Like in that second, she found herself completely unable to leave. She just wanted to stay there with Braen, in that boring little moment forever.
It had been a long time since Naima had felt stillness like that, seemingly from nothing.
She honestly didn't remember ever being that pleased with her life. Giving it up was getting harder by the second.
"Shall I take you back to your quarters, or do you want to stay?" Braen asked, a tinge of force in his tone.
There was no obvious hint in his voice, but Naima was pretty sure she knew what was going to happen if she let the general in her rooms again. The night they'd spent together was fresher in her mind than events that had taken place mere minutes ago. Yet there was a pull stronger than her, more powerful than her will.
Bad idea. Very bad. Or… is it? What if we all end up dead in a week…? I would spent the rest of eternity cursing myself for saying no to a moment of… distraction, right?
"I would like to go back," she heard herself say. "What about Alona?"
"Kerven," the general called sharply. "Find a place for the android. Tell the bridge to set course for Darnetta."
Easy as that, it was handled.
They returned to Naima's room in silence, but there was nothing tame or quiet about the fire in Braen's eyes when the door slid shut after them.
15
Braen
Everything was different with Naima in his life.
Before, dealing with the Chali would have been unthinkable or at least ended with a lot more violence. Now, he'd taken an android on his ship and made a deal with the trader who could control it.
How a man can be bent, he mused.
Braen didn't plan to give Sinetha a damn thing, but he knew the mistress was much like him in that sense, at least. She didn't plan on sharing the victory either and whatever it was Sinetha needed, the trader ultimately relied on herself to get it.
Those matters would have troubled Braen greatly if he had not found his gesha. The Chali had a way of rubbing the Brions the wrong way. They didn't get along with many other species, but the despicable, two-faced fleet of the Chali had always had a special place on Brions' list of enemies.
They took partic
ular glee in getting to destroy their ships if caught infringing on any rules set by the Galactic Union, or the Brions themselves.
As the door closed behind him and Braen was left alone with his fated, everything and everyone else washed away.
It was impossible to concentrate on anything else with such beauty in the world. Naima was looking at him, a fire burning in those gorgeous green eyes. Hesitant, perhaps, but ultimately inviting.
Braen had never seen anything he wanted more.
She was the ultimate prize, one that no one else but Braen could compete for. It didn't make the fight any less difficult, on the contrary. He knew he had to tame and win over the little Terran and that was a task worthy of only him.
The Fearless seemed like less to worry about when his entire being hinged on her acceptance of him.
The general took a moment to calm himself. Naima was his gesha and that meant being his equal, his everything. No matter how badly Braen's body ached for her warmth, how badly his cock needed to be thrust right into her tight pussy again, he couldn't be rash about it.
On the other hand, Naima was his and his alone. Being endlessly patient in a situation like that was preposterous.
Braen pulled the tall Brion battle spear free and rested it on the wall, taking every precaution to ensure he didn't hurt Naima.
She watched even that innocent action with an undeniable desire raging in her eyes. He could sense the tremors going through her, the subtle hints of her lust and the inner turmoil that burned as she still sought to fight him.
These little moments when she lets me in… if only they were not so rare.
He wanted desperately to ask her what she was hiding from him, but he did not. The selfish part of him did not want to ruin the moment they were sharing.
When Braen approached her, her guard went back up. He had seen it before, when they kissed. If she were a Brion woman, the general would have taken it for the traditional fighting, but Naima was a Terran. She wasn't putting on an act.
