Naero snarled, grabbed him under both of his muscled arms and slammed him against the hull of the ship.
He grunted, gasping for air.
She revealed her superior, genetically enhanced strength and speed to the oaf for the first time, pinning him there.
“I admit it. There is a base, physical, animal attraction based solely on appearances. So what?”
She batted her eyes at him in mock humor. “I’m not some helpless little girl, looking to fall in flowery love for the first time. And it certainly wouldn’t be with a stuck-up, pompous popinjay like you, your highness.”
She let him fall. He dropped to the floor to one side on his hands and knees.
“I should have left you trussed up back with Kattryll. Maybe he’d be using your hide for for a bathrobe by now.”
She backed away.
Ellis stared up at her in surprise.
“Perhaps...you are right. Matayan pride, honor, and overconfidence have nearly destroyed my people.” He smiled. Then he even laughed, gazing up at the ceiling.
“First the Spacers, and then the Corps defeated us. Now we are being used as their shock troops. Expendable cannon fodder. After that, they will reduce us to slaves, no better off than Tarim. My people will end up just like his, like all the rest.”
He paused and then looked up at her. “You have my word, Naero. I will try to go easier on the miner boy.”
He shook his head again. “Damn it all to hell. I just don’t know what to do. I want to do something to free my people. But there’s nothing. No way out of it all. Perhaps we are all jerks, like you say. Perhaps we don’t deserve freedom.”
Ellis hung his head.
“Everyone deserves to be free,” Naero said. “But its what we do with that freedom and the way we treat others that determines whether we deserve ours.”
Ellis laughed again. “Perhaps we should keep a Spacer by our ear to remind us of our imperfections. Maybe we Matayans do need more of a conscience. The Corps subjugate and enslave us just as we did others. There is no difference. They beat us and train us to be their blood-thirsty attack dogs. We’re just shock troops to them. It is their way. The strong dominate the weak, and they are the strong.”
“They only know how to use and destroy. They force everyone to live by their ideas and call it liberation. It doesn’t have to be that way, Ellis. My people have proven that. Look at Joshua Tech Space. They’re a Gigacorps, and yet they treat their people well.”
“An aberration,” Ellis noted. “The other Corps will wipe you all out if they can. And they will not stop.”
“Neither will we,” Naero said. “Look, I don’t expect you to completely transform and change your mind overnight. You come from your culture and your ways. Just think about it. And yes, please give Tarim a break. He’s a good guy. Don’t pick on him so much.”
“I will try to go easier on him, as you say. And what about something for me? A little more freedom for the Matayan jerk perhaps?”
Naero lifted both eyebrows. “That’s up to Baeven.”
They walked back to Ellis’s quarters and he faced her from within the threshold.
“This Baeven of yours, he has the eyes of a Slayer. He is a very scary person, this one. I have seen it before. He has killed many, I think, and will continue to do so.”
Naero raised her eyebrows. “I’ve seen him fight; I wouldn’t ever cross him, if I were you.”
“Please, not to worry. H
ave I not already given my word as a Matayan?”
She glared at him.
“As a prince, then. My word that I will not harm you or any of your friends? Or this minuscule ship? Please. I’m going crazy. That is partly why I am so ill-tempered.”
“
I’ll look into it. And I’ll have to hold you to your word, even if it is that of a Matayan, and a prince.”
“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”
Naero smiled at Ellis, and looked him in the eye just a little too long and tilted her head as his panel slid shut.
S
he couldn’t help it.
W
ho was she kidding? There wasn’t any kind of a future with his kind.
But
the short-term options were still fun to consider.
Definitely time to go.
Naero left him locked in his room, still unable to believe the thoughts she was entertaining.
And
about a Matayan, no less.
Still,
he was very good-looking. Matayan or not. She had to give him that much.
Her mother and father both
warned her about being smitten merely by physical attraction.
Until she saw Ellis, she
couldn’t imagine that it would ever happen to her.
I do not understand you, Naero. Do you wish to mate with this male or not? I thought he was an enemy? Your thoughts and emotions are extremely confusing.
If you figure it out, Om, let me know.
27
After a few days of repeated requests, Baeven finally granted
Ellis and Tarim more freedom, no longer restricting them to their quarters.
They were also allowed access to the sparring rooms, as long as they did not get in Baeven’s way or even try to speak with him.
The Matayan Prince squared off with Naero repeatedly.
He
hit the gel mats hard for the fourth time in as many minutes.
All of his Matayan military training aside, Naero was simply that fast, that strong, and that good, especially after picking up a few tricks from Baeven.
She wasn’t even breathing hard, and the salty smell of sweat in the air was all Matayan.
Naero landed four or five good blows
to every one he snuck in. And she pulled her punches.
The prince o
f the Matayan master race gasped for breath from the tap-kick she landed to his solar plexus.
Ellis’s
training and fighting styles emphasized strength and overwhelming power over speed and precision.
She noticed that Matayans perspire
d a great deal more than Spacers.
But he looked good
all slick and sweaty.
“You Spacers are inhuman,”
he managed at last. “No matter my attack or defense strategy, you find an opening, a weakness. I salute you.”
“
Take on Baeven sometime if you want to see inhuman. He does to Gallan and me what I’ve just done to you.”
Ellis paled and shook his head
. “No…no thank you.”
“
And hey,” Naero said with a sly smile, “just remember. Even though I can take you out whenever I want, you can still be my friend.”
“Point taken. Many thanks.”
She offered him her hand, and helped him back up.
The sparring room rang with Ellis
’s laughter once again. “It is most humbling. I see the false pride of my people to be a huge stumbling block now. If I ever get back to them, they will have a hard time believing me. Either that, or they will kill me outright.”
She looked deep into his eyes, trying to read his soul, but it didn
’t work with him.
He couldn
’t be all bad, could he? Just because he was a Matayan prince?
Then again, he just might.
At least the view was okay.
“People remain enemies only as long as
they choose to be,” Naero told him. “Both our peoples have suffered at the hands of the Corps and their duplicity. Fighting each other only weakens both sides to the benefit of our mutual enemy. What do the Matayans really get out of doing the Corps’ dirty work for them?”
Ellis shook his head. “What you say is entirely true, but Triax has a strangle-hold on our worlds. What other choices do we have? No one trusts us. And I do not know if Matayans will ever be ready to ally themselves with Spacers against the Corps. They can be a very stubborn, stiff-necked people.”
Naero sighed. “As are mine.”
“But I agree. The Corps use the Matayans as they see fit and our navies grow only weaker. They impose their will more and more upon our worlds, and we have no choice. Soon we’ll join the ranks of their slaves.”
“Ellis, your people only have one choice. Break free of Triax before it’s too late. You hate Spacers? Try the mining revolt, maybe Joshua Tech. Anyone but Triax.”
Ellis blew out a breath and shook his head. “That time may already be past. I’ve been away from court as a political hostage. The Triaxian shipyards spit out a new fleet every few months. They’re moving to become a major power, even among the Corps. I’m not so
sure that even the mighty Spacer Clans could help us now, even if both our peoples could find a way to bring themselves to accept that possibility.”
Then Ellis
bowed to her. “But you do have my respect, Naero.”
Naero looped her arm through his briefly, causing him to jump.
“Well, I guess that’s a start.”
She could smell his long
, unbraided hair, and had a sudden urge to reach up and touch it.
Gallan
shot her a dark look.
He didn
’t approve of Naero flirting with the Matayan prince.
Admittedly, t
hat was happening more and more, and Ellis began to respond, increasingly watching her with a very different gleam in his eye.
Naero
couldn’t help it. She wanted to touch him.
She could handle it.
They sparred a bit more and escorted Ellis back to his quarters, Gallan following them silently from behind.
After they secured the Matayan
’s panel, they went back to Naero’s quarters, Gallan fuming.
“
What is wrong with you, Naero? I’ve never seen you act this stupid over anyone. This guy is a Matayan animal. One of their princes. Sure, he looks like a god. But remember who and what you are.”
“
Knowing your tastes, Gallan, I’d almost think you were jealous. No, I think someone eager and caring like Tarim would be a better match for you.”
“
I know the lander well enough to know he likes girls, and he’s fallen for you so hard it’s painful to watch. If I could put Tarim’s mind into Ellis’s body for you, I would.”
She tried to open her mouth. Her best friend held up both hands.
“And don’t change the subject like you always do.”
He knew her way too well.
“I wasn’t about to,” she lied.
“
Haisha
. Stay away from Ellis. Think with your brain, not your fantasies. He’s not for you, Naero. Let him into your heart and you’re in for nothing but trouble.”
Like she didn’t have shiploads full of that everywhere she turned.
“I’ll take that under advisement,” she said. “But I’m getting tired of being lectured on this subject.”
He left in a huff. She didn’t like arguing with Gallan, or parting in anger. That wasn’t like either of them.
We shall be in constant danger once we emerge out of jump space,
Om noted.
They came out of jump
an hour or so later, somewhat further away from Jodien-2 than they expected. The old ship’s navigational computer simply wasn’t very accurate. Naero watched Baeven launch a multitude of messenger drones. They scattered like Terran fireflies, most of them going back into jump.
“
What are all those for?” Naero asked.
“A secure way t
o contact old friends for help, to keep enemies guessing. I maintain a constant trail of information and misinformation. I have many enemies.”
Most likely.
Naero only nodded. She trusted Baeven’s expertise, unable to do little else.
They stopped at Jodien-2 for ten uneventful days
on a barren rock. A run-down depot on the edge of nowhere. No one left the ship except for Baeven, and then he disguised himself so well that no one would recognize him.
They did nothing to cause suspicion or raise an alarm.
The rift between her and Gallan grew; they were unable to resolve their issues.
Naero’s issues. The problems were all with her. She knew that.
The only good thing occurred when a more humble Ellis made several inroads to patching things up between himself and Tarim.
By the time they departed, the two of them had actually started getting along.
Baeven would only confide in Naero and Gallan.
As they
expected, the Triaxian naval presence had greatly increased in their area.
But the
registry for their ship was clean, and they lingered long enough to take on cargo, just like they should.
Naero breathed a sigh of relief when
they left Jodien-2. Escape finally looked possible.
From there they made
a short route jump to Naejer-5, only a matter of hours.
They
emerged from jump. Baeven plotted a course to one of the large, barren moons circling the big gas giant.
The
immense Jovian at this range filled their viewscreens, complete with twist rings and large, blue, whirling cyclonics. Naero scanned dozens of ships docked at a research facility on the far side of one moon.
Almost immediately she felt a twitch of warning. What was it this time?
“Friends,” Naero began.
Gallan
let out a stifled cry next to her. She glanced up.
He wheeled and staggered
toward Baeven.
Two more shots
from the outcast’s needle gun took Gallan down.
He attacks. Activate my protocols!
Gallan gave Naero time to strike.
Blood and anger pounded behind her face.
She flipped off the ceiling and launched herself, twisting to avoid a spray of needles.
A killing strike from her
hidden blast rod deflected off Baeven’s energy shield.
Spin kick. Off the wall, knock the gun away.
Her first knife he dodged.
The next he
caught in his forearm, drawing another needle pistol so fast she couldn’t react.
The first
shot hit her.
H
er left foot grazed his cheek.
Baeven
slammed her to the ground. His eyes cold and implacable.
“
Your speed is remarkable for an adept so young.”
H
e shot her up with two more needles. She went numb.
“
Too bad you neither have the strength nor skill to match that speed yet. So much to learn.”
“
Baeven, why? Don’t do this. We trusted you.”
“
I’m sorry it has to be this way, Naero. We must know certain things. Playing our enemies into revealing what they know is the only way I can find out.”
Her tongue felt like clay
. Her mind began to float.
“Even i
f I explained it all to you, you might not go along with it. There’s too much at stake. I’d tell you to trust me, but–”
Her spittle caught him in the eye and dripped down over his nose.
That took all of her fading strength.
She struggled to resist the paralyzing agent in the needles, to no avail.
Baeven wiped off his face.
“
Aunt Sleak was right about you...
outcast
. You’d betray anyone to get what you’re after.”
Baeven’s half-smile looked
grim. He nodded.
Let me kill this one, Naero.
Quiet, Om. We’ll get our chance.
“
Sleak knew me too well, Naero. Yet our younger sister Lythe never believed her. I’ll save you if I can, for her sake. But I can’t afford to give you a choice in this matter. Do not interfere.”
He shot a fourth needle into her
.
The
colors around Naero’s tears and her range of vision whorled into darkness.