The Commander's Slave Read online

  “How do you know about these people?”

  “How genetically compatible are they?”

  “Would they be willing to relocate to Fa Drunn?”

  “Where are they now?’

  The dowager tapped her spoon on the table, demanding silence, and fixed her niece with an eagle stare.

  “How do you know about the Seti, Arais?”

  Arais flushed. “We’ve … ah … met.”

  “Met? Where?”

  “At first on Helson V, then later on,” she faltered, “on one of the larger moons of a gas giant.”

  The dowager frowned. “Moon? But wasn’t that where you were rescued from? Where you were being kept prisoner?”

  Ari opened her mouth to protest then closed it again. Prisoner, sex captive, love slave, was there really a difference?

  Onduin caught her cousin’s gaze. “Ari,” she asked seriously, “what is the relationship between these Seti people and the ones who kept you prisoner?”

  She took a deep breath. “They’re one and the same.”

  “What?!”

  “Preposterous.”

  “You expect us to talk to these people …!”

  “I know their commander,” Ari shouted above the din. “He’s a decent man.”

  “Did he know about your imprisonment?” Onduin demanded.

  Know? He instigated it! Ari could only nod.

  “Then how can we even negotiate with such barbarians? Ari, you can’t be serious!”

  “He had his reasons, Dew.”

  “She’s obviously still brainwashed,” Erinan muttered. “I think we should send her back to the monks.”

  “Enough.” The one word from the dowager silenced everyone at the table. “Arais, Onduin makes a good point. How can we even countenance negotiating with a group of people that were responsible for such,” she glanced at her daughters, “actions.”

  The look she sent Ari spoke volumes. She knew about her lost virginity and at least a little of what happened. “Who is their leader?”

  “He’s called Tangus. He used to be commander of the Seti Second Fleet.”

  “And do you trust him?”

  “Yes,” Ari said simply.

  “They may not be a compatible species.”

  “I … ah … some preliminary xenotyping has already been done.” Ari flushed. “I believe I brought back a data pad with analysis data.” At the time she didn’t know why she had grabbed the tablet off Tangus’ desk. Perhaps, besides the clothes she had hurriedly changed into that night of her rescue, it was because it was the last thing he had touched. “The results are promising.”

  “Xenotyping? Has already been done?” This from a frowning Onduin in a mirror expression to her mother’s. “Exactly how well did you know this Tangus, Ari?”

  “He was trying to save his species as well,” she countered. “He was just … exploring options. Look, Aunt Inna, we can go round and round this argument for the next few years and still not reach a completely happy conclusion. But while there’s still a chance, at least let me contact them and ask if they’re interested in a new life on a new world.”

  “And do you think that, unlike the Krat, they will agree?”

  Ari bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

  * * * *

  In the end Ari took the Fast Rake Mirror Lake, with a small but experienced combat team. Unlike her last diplomatic transport, Mirror Lake was well-armed and shielded, and they made good time. Still, it took five days of constant jumping before they emerged as close as they could to the otherwise unknown NX-8903 system.

  “Shields online,” Captain Wresla barked the moment they entered the system. “Prime all weapons. Sensor data?”

  The science officer was quick with her analysis. “We’re picking up a detection grid around the second planet, captain.”

  Ari, strapped in next to the captain, frowned. “That’s not right. Their base camp is set up on one of the gas giant’s moons.”

  “All moons showing negative for life. But I am picking up habitation signs on the second planet.”

  Several heads turned in Ari’s direction.

  “It’s your mission, my lady,” Captain Wresla said. She was a capable no-nonsense woman, and Ari was beginning to like her. “What are your orders?”

  “I think it’s a decoy,” Ari said. “One of those giant’s moons should contain a compatible oxygen atmosphere.”

  “That would be the moon on the far side.”

  “Let’s head for it,” Wresla ordered. “Five percent light speed.”

  Ari didn’t put it past Tangus’ resourceful second-in-command to have manufactured the misdirection, apparently leading them to one place while they were concealed in another.

  “Captain, I’m picking up some anomalous readings. Very faint, but there’s a definite black body leakage trace in the vicinity.”

  “A deflection cloak,” Wresla said with satisfaction. “You were right, my lady.”

  “Can this Rake land on the surface?”

  “Yes, it can.”

  “Then look for disguised metal fabrications and a set of open fields next to two lakes near the equator.”

  While they narrowed in on the location, Ari thought hard. The dowager would have her head if she tried approaching the Seti without an adequate guard, but at the same time, she didn’t want Tangus to think that she was attempting to dominate their interaction from the moment they met. Again. This was the second time she had escaped him, and the second time they would reunite, and to say she was unsure of her reception was an understatement.

  She had an electronic copy of her planet’s proposal, a variation of the one she had carried to the Krat which Onduin had ruthlessly re-edited in three frantic days, and she touched the pad’s reassuring flatness, and the feel of something else she had brought along on impulse, through the material of her skirt as they descended. Wresla’s helm had found a flat site near the major encampment, and it was only a question of minutes before they touched raw earth.

  In the end, the question of an adequate guard was also taken out of her hands. The dowager had relayed strict instructions to Wresla, and the Captain remained obdurate on that point. She was either going to follow the Eminence’s order or take Ari back to Fa Drunn at the highest available speed.

  As she stood near the docking bay, the guard streamed in and formed around her. For this first visit, she had insisted on being the only person of any authority to meet with the Seti. It was enough that she was endangering the lives of eight of her fellow citizens. She refused to put any more in a possible firing line.

  The Mirror Lake kept descending until Ari was sure they had dug through the ground and were now subterranean. Surely it didn’t always take this long? Then she felt a shudder and resistance as splayed landing pads contacted solid ground and began taking the weight of the Rake.

  The whine of the engines cut out just as the doors begin sliding open.

  Ari took a deep breath.

  Chapter Nine

  There was always the chance that an enemy wouldn’t be fooled by the trick shield Daurent had installed around the second planet, but Tangus had expected a bit more reconnaissance before the unidentified ship began a more thorough search pattern, time for him to either plan an attack or evacuation. But the strange ship hadn’t been fooled for a second. Instead of moving further into the system, it had turned and plotted a direct route to their base.

  Neither Daurent nor his surveillance team had been able to shed any further light on the interloper. It was an unknown configuration, not a Lasc Prein nor, to their puzzlement, an apparent Lasc Prein variation either. A survey ship perhaps? Daurent shrugged his confusion.

  This was the first bit of excitement they’d had in more than a month, and if he was honest with himself, Tangus could have done with more monotony. He didn’t know when the pain of Asha’s loss would lessen, but drawing breath each morning when he woke up was like breathing in serrated blades, the torment searing his soul.
Still, maybe a little adventure was exactly what he needed to get his mind off her.

  If his men had considered him grim before, he was now irretrievably terse and abrupt. And he was tired of running. Even if it meant dying, he decided, he was through with fleeing every time he smelled a whiff of danger, although he would take as many of the Lasc Prein demons with him that he could.

  The conjecture that this was another survey or scouting ship was dispelled when the stranger punctured through their deflection cloak and started heading for the field next to the barracks compound.

  Tangus’ lips tightened as he marked their progress on the screens in their operations room.

  “Daurent, pass out weapons and organize three blades in a crossfire pattern. We know where they’re going to land. Let’s get there before they do.”

  “Yes, commander.”

  Tangus went back to his quarters for his jacket, shrugging it on while he took a quick look around. Idly, he walked over to a shelf and briefly caressed a piece of cloth. It was indigo and belonged to a two-piece outfit that Asha wore when she was still with him. For the millionth time he wondered what had happened to her, kicked himself mentally for being the biggest fool in the galaxy, and holstered a wave pistol.

  Unsmiling, he headed for the field, watching as his troops dispersed into the surrounding vegetation. If the strangers did come with mayhem on their minds, they were in for a nasty surprise.

  Tangus watched the ship land with shielded eyes and naked envy. He had forgotten how beautiful a well-designed ship could look, the perfect combination of function and aesthetics. Their own fleet of craft had been patched and modified so many times they resembled nothing more than lumpy aggregates of riveted metal.

  The smooth skin of the landing craft was sleek and burnished, bulging out in the center before gracefully curving underneath. Three slender legs emerged from its underside, ending in landing pads that adjusted itself to the terrain.

  Then the clouds of dust it whipped up settled, and the engines cut out. Tangus waited, Daurent by his side, tense and ready to give the command to fire. He hoped his soldiers could read his mind and only kill the attackers while leaving that glorious piece of machinery in one piece. The new Strike, he thought with grim humor.

  A seam appeared in the ship’s flawless skin, traced a rounded rectangle, and gracefully folded out and down into a shallow ramp.

  Eight--no, nine--people headed out of the ship, but eight of them were in a run. Tangus tightened the hold on his pistol, but they merely formed a perimeter when they reached the ground, lifting their weapons in unison and pointing them at where his troops were hiding in the greenery. These were combat troops, familiar in look and movement, but not the ninth person. She looked so incongruous he frowned and blinked his eyes.

  A close-fitting dusky blue jacket hugged her figure, nipping in at the waist before flaring out and ending at her hips. Below that, she wore a long, full ivory skirt--a skirt!--and soft boots. Her hair was pulled back severely from her face and coiled at the back, although its distinctive copper color shone in the sunlight.

  Copper! Hungrily, his eyes roamed her features, recognizing the large amber eyes and high cheekbones, the lush lips and slender throat. Asha! He stiffened in shock, then forced himself to relax, and shuttered the expression on his face.

  From the ship, a voice blared.

  “We come in peace and bring an envoy of the ruling party of the planet known as Fa Drunn.”

  Tangus heard the murmurs start up behind his back as the Cirlian Formal words sank in.

  “We believe you have met her before--Lady Arais Innan Cybar sun-Abrengo, niece to the Dowager Eminence, ruler of Fa Drunn.”

  Lady? Niece? Ruler? Beside him, Daurent groaned. “I think we’re in a lot of trouble, commander.”

  “They’re only one ship, Daurent,” Tangus countered in a low voice. “What can they do?” And wished he believed his own words.

  The small group moved towards him, then parted, and she stepped forward.

  “Tangus.”

  “Your name is obviously not Asha,” he replied, “but I don’t think I caught all of it.”

  “Arais will do.” Her eyes searched his, looking for a splinter of softness, anything that would tell her he was glad to see her, that he had missed her, but she saw nothing.

  “Niece to the ruler of ... a planet? A system?” An empire? And he could have cheerfully blown his brains out right there and then in the mild afternoon sunshine.

  “A system, but it really only has one habitable planet.” She looked around, trying to come up with a conversational opener. “But seeing where you settled your people, perhaps we should start exploring the two gas giants in our own system.”

  She attempted a smile, but it faltered in the face of his stoniness.

  “Is there something we can do for you, your Highness?”

  “The proper term on my world is ‘my lady’.”

  He nodded curtly. “My lady, then. If you need supplies, we’ll gladly share what little we have and see you on your way.”

  Hadn’t he missed her at all? Who was this grim stranger standing in front of her, wounding her with each impersonal word and glance?

  Daurent stepped forward, looking from one to the other. “Perhaps we can move somewhere a bit more comfortable?” There was no response. Daurent cleared his throat and tried again. “Commander, I think the situation is … ah … under control. Perhaps we should stand down our teams?”

  A tic worked in Tangus’ jaw, and for a moment, Ari thought he was going to manhandle her up the ramp and back into her ship but he just clenched his fists.

  “Yes. Do it.”

  With relief, the sub-commander signaled a stand-down, and at Ari’s gesture, so did her team. But her eyes were still locked with Tangus, probing, seeking ... not finding.

  “Commander, I really do believe we’ll be more comfortable somewhere else.”

  Tangus thought quickly. The canteen was too open and they had not yet constructed any smaller common rooms. Usually when groups wanted to get together, they chose a spare patch of outside ground and just sat down there. By the Creator, even having Ash-Arais on the moon was enough to expose, once again, their lack of preparedness.

  “My quarters,” he ground out, then turned on his heel and led the way, seemingly not caring if anyone followed.

  Daurent watched his commander’s stiff back, then turned to Ari.

  “Your … um … rescue affected him,” he told her as they slowly walked in his wake. “Don’t think it didn’t.” No reply. “He’s been trying to hold us together, but without any hope, it’s getting more and more difficult.” He didn’t need to add that, with Ari’s shiny and sleek vessel arriving, his task had just gotten that much harder. She could read between the lines.

  Tangus’ quarters. She had thought of nothing else for weeks, the angles of the recycled sheet-metal door etched into her memory.

  She turned to the head of her three-person security team.

  “Sergeant Gamlez, could you and your soldiers wait outside, please?”

  She could tell the grizzled veteran, one of very few males who had reached his fifties, was not happy.

  “My lady, I have strict orders from the dowager. If anything should happen to you ….”

  “Nothing will happen to me.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Please.”

  There was a charged silence.

  “We’ll stay outside,” he finally conceded. “But I will enter if I hear anything suspicious.”

  “Agreed. Daurent?”

  “I think I’ll stay outside with your escort.”

  “Very well.”

  The quarters hadn’t changed, although there was an untidiness to everything that hadn’t been there before. She glanced briefly at the bed, remembering hot, willing nights of passion, then over at Tangus. He had seated himself in a chair facing the door, and as she approached, she once more felt as she had when she was his captive--unsure yet a little excited.


  “I’m sorry I don’t have any place more befitting your ... station,” he said, watching her with hooded eyes.

  “It never bothered me before,” she replied.

  “No, I suppose there were too many other things that bothered you.” Did she realize how aloof she looked to him? Unapproachable and somehow above him while he groveled below on the dusty earth. He had never felt so dirty in his life. Why had she come? Revenge? To flaunt her obvious status in front of him and prove to him, in undeniable fashion, that she didn’t need him anymore? He didn’t need her for that. He had felt the truth in his bones for weeks now and there was nothing she could say that would make him feel any worse than he did already.

  “Tangus, stop,” she reproached gently. “Do you know why I’m here?”

  No, he couldn’t remain seated. His body demanded an outlet for his nervous energy. Swiftly he rose and moved to the window in the rear of his quarters, half-turning away from her.

  “Somehow I don’t think it’s to continue where we left off.”

  “No, but I was hoping for something better.”

  “Better?” He did glare at her then, his eyes searing chips of black stone. “What could be better, Asha … Arais,” he quickly corrected himself. Now even her name had been taken from him and replaced by something magnificent but achingly distant. “How can it be better to come back and remind me of just what I can no longer provide for my men? I hope you’re not intending to make this a regular stop so we can work through our mutual frustrations, because quite frankly, as distracting as your presence is, the fallout from every visit would be more than I could possibly handle.”

  Mutual frustrations? Could he really stand there and called the intimacies they shared ‘mutual frustrations’? She was almost tempted to call Gamlez in just so he could shoot some sense into the head of the man she loved.

  Man she loved. Still loved. Would always love. But certainly not if he was going to continue along this path.

  “What if I could offer you and your men a way out?”