by Vi Voxley
"You’re correct," Braen said reluctantly, reminding himself that he was doing it for Naima’s safety.
Sinetha was his enemy, the general had no doubt about that. Yet the android’s mistress had been right about one thing. Alona possessed qualities he didn’t have.
"The Fearless has a link to her. It can get in her mind," he said. "The device on Naima’s wrist is supposed to keep it away, but apparently that’s no longer enough. The coldness comes from the world the Fearless is on."
Alona listened to him quietly, without any visible emotion.
"I see," it said then. "In that case, I believe going to Laveden is a good idea."
"Can you keep her warm until then?" Braen asked.
"Yes, General," Alona replied. "I will keep an eye on the bracelet too. The Fearless has no connection to me and I can’t be tampered with in the same way. Clearly having it on is helping, but not as much as it should. I will make certain it remains on."
That was true. The only problem for Braen was that it was convenient. Alona was able to provide amazing protection for Naima, but the android’s suitability for the task bothered a tactical mind like his.
The question arose in his mind, unbidden and wholly unwelcome.
Had Sinetha known or guessed Braen could actually use her android? Actually need her?
"Very well," Braen said out loud. "As for right now, I want you to stabilize her condition and leave us. With me, Miss Jones will be safe."
The android’s gray eyes turned to regard him.
"As you wish, General," Alona said. "When you need me, I will return."
Braen gave a curt nod and turned on his heel, beckoning Kerven to come with him. They walked a few short corridors away.
The valor squares on Braen’s neck began broadcasting white noise in Alona’s direction, hiding the warriors’ voices from the android’s audio receptors.
The general gave Kerven a serious look.
"I commend your quick actions," Braen said, his deep voice heavy with emotion. "It is possible you saved my gesha’s life. I do not forget service like that."
"Thank you, General," Kerven said, quietly and reverently. "I was only doing my duty."
"Even so," Braen replied. "You will continue to guard Naima. I have a strong suspicion the traders didn’t send the android without considering its use. I did not want them to be involved, but now that the android is here, we will make use of it. Naima’s safety is your first priority. Let her go and do as she pleases. If she requests or needs Alona’s presence while I’m not nearby, allow it.
“Only one thing. Never leave her alone with Alona."
"Yes, General," Kerven said at once, saluting. "I will guard Miss Jones with my life."
Braen nodded. He read no hesitation or protest from Kerven’s valor squares. That was good. The warrior was prepared to do his duty no matter what the cost.
It was the Brion way.
The only way he could trust at the moment.
Watching Naima open her eyes without the shadow of pain in them as he strode into her room was one of the most beautiful things Braen had seen.
Alona had done as promised and while Naima still shivered, her temperature had returned to normal. There was color in her face again. The fact Naima smiled at him was the most precious to Braen.
She was sitting upright on her bed, the blanket wrapped around her legs. There was a portable tablet in Naima’s hands. It seemed he’d caught her reading.
"How are you feeling?" Braen asked, the softness in his voice unfamiliar to hear.
"Better," Naima said with a tired smile. "Much better. Although I could have done without the whole ordeal."
Braen came closer, unsheathing the battle spear and resting it against the wall. He sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to touch her.
Naima seemed to notice and approve, even if a spark of regret shone in her eyes for a moment. She didn't say anything at first, appearing to wait for him to say something.
Then her bright green eyes flashed and the sharpness in there spoke of a wild spirit. Braen couldn’t wait to tame it, make it belong to him and him alone as he was Naima’s, forever. Making her understand that he could give her as much as she could give him appeared to be the problem here, from what Braen could deduce. Considering the incident, he had to reluctantly admit that she may have had a point.
He hadn’t been able to protect her. That would stay with him for a long time.
"Now," Naima said and the iciness in her voice matched the coldness of her skin. "Tell me what Alona said about me. Back when you spoke real Brionese. Just because I couldn’t speak doesn’t mean I didn’t hear. I would like a translation now."
"We discussed your condition," Braen replied. "The android suspected there was something that affected you. I confirmed it."
"And? Is that it?" Naima asked coolly, the glare in her eyes telling Braen that perhaps he’d said more with his body language than he’d intended.
"The Palians suggested that it was wiser if you didn’t think about the Fearless too much. It is over for now. You can rest and relax."
Naima pulled back from him, the terrible look of disappointment in her eyes painful to see.
"It’s not over," she said slowly. "The presence stayed, somehow. I am still cold. There is no ignoring it. The worst thing you can do is keep me in the dark. The Fearless is already fucking with my mind, don’t start lying to me on top of that."
Braen hesitated.
"I can’t lie to you," he finally said. "Not to my gesha. There isn’t much more to tell. Alona will be keeping an eye on you until the Palians fix the bracelet."
Now it was Naima’s turn to look uncertain.
"The sooner the better," she said then. "Though I don’t think there’s any fixing the bracelet in this case… General, the attack wasn’t meant for me. The Fearless didn’t want to hurt me. It wanted to see who it was up against and it did. There wasn’t much I could do, but I got the sense that it was still developing. I think it’s adjusting its form to fight you better."
His response came immediately, along with a steady, red pulse of his valor squares.
"Let it."
Naima was caught between warring emotions. In the end, she tried to roll her eyes and glare at the same time. Braen grinned.
"I don’t mean to dismiss this piece of information," he said. "It’s important, but what I said is true as well."
"It’s figuring out how to beat a Brion general," Naima retorted. "And it happens that the previous reincarnations have experience with that."
“Let it," Braen repeated.
"You know," she replied. "I don't know if I'm ready to buy into all of this Brion bravado, but I have to say that you guys sure are consistent with it."
"I mean it," he explained. "If the enemy thinks it has me figured out, that's only for the best. I am a Brion and I fight like one, but that is not all that I am. Not by far."
Naima looked at him, her head cocked a little to one side. Her soft red hair fell in flawless disarray over her bare shoulders.
"I need to tell you something," she said then, adding to his surprise: "I have kept something from you, General. I'm not entirely convinced it's the best idea, but I'm choosing to trust you now that I have looked our enemy in the eye. We can use all the help we can get.
“I think I have an idea how to use the lifestone I found on Matthos IV. Found and brought with me."
19
Naima
The look on Braen's face would have been amusing to see in any other circumstance.
She'd felt confident enough when blurting out her secret, but seeing the general's reaction wasn't very encouraging.
Curse those Brions and their contagious bravado. I wish I had some more of that to prop myself up with…
Naima started to feel keenly vulnerable when a long moment had passed and Braen still hadn't said anything. Then the general rose to his feet, slowly and pointedly.
"You possess a piece of the lifesto
ne," he said. "You have it with you, on my ship?"
No going back. No use in denying it now, he'd just have my room searched.
"Yes."
"And at what point were you going to tell me?" Braen asked, turning back to her, his blue eyes flashing with clear irritation.
"When I trusted you," Naima replied, quite aware she was starting another fight with the general from her sick bed.
She knew how it sounded. Braen would not like that answer from her. But if he was adamant about being honest with her, well, she could reply with some of the same.
"Have I given you any reason to doubt me?" he asked, the fury rising to the surface faster than Naima had anticipated.
It was practically a roar, as close as he'd come to yelling at her. Even so, Naima wasn't going to take it lying down.
Other than literally, that was. She was still very weak, but her determination and the idea she'd had gave her strength to push on, if not to stand up. Not that rising to her full height would do much – she was more than a foot shorter than the general.
"Plenty," she said as forcefully as she dared. "You promised me everything, but it turned out I had to promise everything to you in return. You said I had a choice, but the lovely catch was that it was only on the condition that I eventually agreed with you. And you are a Brion. Surely you see why someone wouldn't immediately hand you a weapon like that?"
Pretty much all of those words were a mistake, Naima could see it at once. Only she was beyond caring. They were a mistake in the sense that they obviously riled Braen up, but she felt the opposite of regret. The truth was coming out at last and her conscience was clear.
"Brion," the general snarled, anger ruining the inherent nobility of his face. "You say that word like it's a curse. I thought you were better than this, to believe every rumor that goes around about us. Should a scientist not conduct their own experiments? I told you, it is a cultivated image –"
"The fuck it is," Naima cut in, sitting up.
The room was cast in shadows again.
The adrenaline was rushing through her body with such viciousness that it was hard to keep track of her words. There was no filter between her mind and her tongue. Naima knew she should sugarcoat a few things, but she refused to. After all, had the general ever been told the truth? Had anyone ever dared ask if he’d looked in the damn mirror?
"I know you're trying to be better," she said, words pouring out of her mouth, "but that doesn't take away your bloody past nor erase it. You act like being good for a fraction of your history should somehow make us all forget and forgive the death you've reaped.
“You are a warrior species, your ships are indestructible and your weapons the best there are. How can others not be uneasy around you? A little distrusting?"
Naima didn't need Brion senses to hear how heavily the general was breathing. She saw glimpses of his temper, trying to overtake him, but he kept it at bay. With difficulty, it seemed to her.
"It is true," he said through gritted teeth. "Our dark days are still fresh in the galactic memory. But I would presume trying to – as you said – be good would warrant us some degree of trust. And we're not talking about some random warship and a random woman. This is you and me."
Naima wished with all her heart that there was a way for her to switch perspectives with Braen just for a second. So they could see the world through the other's eyes. Perhaps it wouldn't have felt so much like talking to a wall then.
Or you could just tell him the rest of what is bothering you…
With all the patience she could muster, she gathered herself.
"You and I met two weeks ago," she said, emphasizing every word. "You don't know me. I don't know you. All I have to go by are these short days we've spent together and all your long history. I'm telling you now. I'm trusting you now. Is that not worth anything?"
Like a dam before a surge of a tidal wave, Braen's rage seemed to stop. The angry dark light receded, leaving the room once more comfortably dim. The general's expression relaxed, despite still bearing the mark of deep disappointment. His entire body language spoke of calming and Naima felt like she'd escaped from the brink of a chasm.
To salvage whatever could be saved from their relationship, she wanted to keep explaining. Though why she thought that was a wise idea, she’d never be quite certain. Was she not supposed to be driving him further away?
"I know none of this is what you want to hear, General. I know this is not what you want or how you imagined it would be, but it's all I can give you. No matter what issues we have between us, I no longer believe that Brions are entirely what I imagined you to be before I met you.
“Sure, you're a little hot-tempered and I'm pretty sure I saw one of your warriors try to gouge his own eyeballs out when I was showing a bare shoulder –"
Her attempt to break the tension seemed to be working, judging by the soft smirk on Braen's lips.
"– But I've come to see you really aren't the monsters I used to read about when I was younger. I admit I hid the stone from you, but I always intended to tell you this once I was sure you wouldn't use it... misguidedly.
“You are a great man, General, and I believe with all my heart you will be the one to rid us all of the Fearless. I want you to know that."
There general graced her with one solemn nod. As much as Naima could tell, her honesty didn't fall on deaf ears, but she saw that she'd hurt Braen. It made her feel oddly terrible, despite the fact everything she'd said was what she believed.
Considering the importance of their mission, Naima didn't think they could really afford to pretty things up.
It was painful, though. To her as much as it was to him, which came as a surprise to Naima. Cuddling up in his arms and ignoring all this rationality and reason and death and despair would have been so much easier.
The valor squares on Braen's neck started pulsing a disruptive sound, although quiet. Naima frowned, but the general shook his head.
"On the topic of trust," he said. "I do not want the android to hear us and if it's close, it most certainly can, even through steel walls. Where is the stone now? Is it safe?"
Carefully, Naima got up. She was dressed in the most comfortable pants she could find and a loosely fitting white shirt that was seductively see-through. As she slowly made her way to her cupboard, contemplating whether the Fearless' attack turned her into glass, she could notice the general watching her with a range of emotions.
The lust was clear to see, but it wasn't his desire for her that caught Naima's attention. It was the way he followed her at a respectful distance, ready to catch her. When she stumbled, Braen practically twitched, his hands aching to aid her, but she was grateful he did not touch her.
Too much had already gone wrong because she was unable to resist his touch. They couldn't afford more distractions than the tense relationship between them already was. He had a galaxy to save, she didn’t want to mess with his focus on top of everything else.
Naima retrieved the stone, opening the little box that held it with care, making sure not to brush against the treasure. The bracelet on her wrist felt a little heavier as she did so.
The general came closer and Naima had to bite her lip not to lean in and rest her head against his strong, wide chest.
The glow of the lifestone was so bright it drowned out even the general's valor squares. Braen leaned in, observing the stone with wide eyes. Naima was surprised.
She didn't know exactly what she'd expected. A hunger, like the Fearless, for the general to be drawn to the lifestone like everyone else in the galaxy seemed to. But there was nothing of the sort. The way he looked at it reminded Naima painfully of herself. Curiosity, interest, not the self-serving greed she'd feared.
It was an immense relief that she'd been right to tell him.
"It's beautiful," Braen said, glancing at her for a moment. "I must admit I'm tempted to hold it. Not for the reasons you might think. If I was connected to the Fearless too, it might leave you and
Audrey Price alone. Don't be offended, but it would make sense for it to target me. I could protect you."
Every time, Naima thought to herself. Kerven was right. It's infuriating at times and more than often a little condescending, but he really does always think of me first. Always.
"I agree, General," she said. "I think that's the reason why you shouldn't do it. Audrey would say the same, I'm sure. We can't risk it. I am a perfect link to it because other than the connection between us, there is nothing special about me to the Fearless. It has almost nothing to gain from my mind. You, on the other hand, are its greatest enemy. If it gets into your head..."
"I could hold it off."
Naima smiled, sighing melodramatically.
"You'd fare better than me and Audrey, maybe," she admitted. "Brions have great self-control, what with your valor squares, I know, but the Fearless is the most dangerous creature in the galaxy. You've said it yourself. If it accesses a fraction of your intentions, it's that much harder for us."
Miracles continued as she saw Braen nodding.
"You are right," he said. "It's better if my mind is guarded against the monster for now. I only offered to let you know that I would give you the reprieve without hesitation."
"I know you would."
The pang of guilt that hit her gut at that moment almost made her reel. If the tides were turned, would she do the same? The fact that the answer was leaning more towards ‘yes’ than ‘no’ was equally as troubling as it would have been if the answer was different.
The silence between them as they stood, the lifestone between them, was the most peaceful Naima had felt in the general's presence yet. It wasn't the post-coital satisfaction, nor the desperate search for rest after the Fearless' attacks. The room itself seemed to fill with intimacy of a wholly different kind, one of finally being on the same page about something.
"You said you had an idea," Braen said then.
Her excitement was back in an instant. Naima felt herself smiling widely as she always did when her work was under discussion.
