The Commander's Slave Page 11

  His laugh was full of cynicism. “Of course. Land in that wonderful ship of yours and do what, Arais? Take us away from all this?” His hand swept the recycled cargo bay that doubled as his quarters. “Help us perpetuate our species? Get justice against the Lasc Prein?”

  She raised her voice over his objections. “I mentioned once the possibility of an enquiry sub-committee in the Fusion’s Lower Convergence. The beginning of an investigation into what happened to the Seti home world.”

  “If we could ever find a sponsor.”

  “We are willing to sponsor you.”

  That stopped him. He looked for the jest but her expression was serious. “You?”

  “I have spoken to the Dowager Eminence, ruler of Fa Drunn. My aunt,” she explained. “She’s agreed to sponsor your request, in return for ....”

  Ah, the catch. He knew there would be one. His lips twisted.

  “Well, to put it simply, we need your men.”

  “As cattle? As slaves?” Then he winced as the word left his mouth.

  “As partners,” she countered. “As husbands. As fathers.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

  Arais pulled the pad out from her skirt pocket. “Your planet was destroyed in a single act of unspeakable violence, while ours is dying over generations. Almost six hundred years ago, the males of our species contracted a virus that led to extensive chromosomal damage. Our ancestors did what they could, saving genetic material for the future, but the constant cloning of material and recessive immune traits introduced an increasing degree of genetic error in succeeding generations. Quite simply, we have very few men left on our planet. We need more.”

  Breeding stock? Could it be true that Arais’ people were searching for the same solution for a different problem?

  “We are prepared to deal fairly,” Arais continued. “All the conditions are outlined on this pad.” She left it on his desk. “Re-education programs for those who want it, available land and opportunity for new business ventures. You’ll find our medical and technological facilities are of the highest standard. Your men will want for nothing.”

  But Tangus saw her hesitation. “There’s a condition isn’t there?”

  “Yes.” The dowager had refused to compromise on this point. “At least eighty percent of your men must contract a parenting agreement with our citizens and produce at least one child within three years of such an agreement.”

  “And of course you know we are basically genetically compatible because ....”

  He saw her flush, and inexplicably, it cheered him. So she wasn’t as impassive as she appeared.

  “Of course, I took Doctor Zehnda’s initial analyses into account.”

  For the first time since he eyed that glorious ship descending, Tangus relaxed.

  “What do these women of your planet look like? Do they look like you?”

  “We have variations, the same as on any planet.” She touched her coiffed hair. “My coloring is the most common. My cousin, Onduin, is as fair as sunlight, but there are many who are more exotic.”

  He leaned against the wall and folded his arms.

  “But eighty percent? That’s a very high proportion.”

  She hesitated, unsure. “I’m sorry, but Her Eminence is immovable on that point. Perhaps if some couples produced more than one child in the stipulated three years, we could negotiate something.”

  “And when would we have to give you an answer?”

  Arais was floored by the question. In her musings, she had imagined handing the pad over to Tangus and him jumping for joy and ordering immediate evacuations. Things weren’t working out she way she had planned at all.

  “I was hoping for a quick answer.”

  “I see.”

  She really didn’t know men at all, Tangus concluded. A whole planet of women who looked even vaguely like her? To have a life again, with new families and old friendships. To not be forgotten. Did she really think he could even hold back the stampede once he announced the proposal?

  He straightened and walked over to her, circling her slowly, breathing in her scent. How he had missed her! Missed her like the beating of his heart or the pulsing of blood through his veins. But he had to ask one burning question, even though he knew he didn’t want to hear the answer.

  “And what about us?”

  “Us?”

  His heart broke in two as he circled.

  “I presume that there’s some marriage arranged for you. That’s how things normally work, isn’t it?” An arranged royal marriage that he was now sure he had ruined through the taking of her virginity. Part of him wanted to howl his despair, while another part wondered how he could offer himself as a substitute. Could he imagine waking up next to his woman for the rest of his life? Could he contemplate the alternative, the despair of the last two months compounded by decades? But most importantly, would she even want to have anything to do with him after what he had put her through?

  He spun her around, holding her by her arms and looking deep into her soft amber eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” he told her.

  She looked dazed. “Sorry?”

  “Dammit, Asha-Arais, if you want me to beg, I’ll do it. Put a collar around my neck, I’ll do that too. I … it look a long time but I realize now I can’t live without you. I only wish we could have met under better circumstances. I wish I could have shown you the man I once was. I wish … I wish many things. But as demanding as I was, as selfish as I was, believe me when I tell you that, no matter what happens, I will never stop loving you.”

  The transformation was astounding. Her eyes lit up and her face opened, releasing tension he hadn’t realized was there until it was gone.

  “If there’s any way you could regard me as your prospective mate, I’ll be your slave,” he murmured as he bent and nuzzled her neck. “Anything, as long as I don’t lose you again.”

  “I do have one condition,” she whispered.

  “Anything.”

  She moved away and reached into her skirt pocket, this time bringing out a length of silken cord. She lifted an eyebrow.

  They didn’t emerge from his quarters for more than an hour and the celebrations lasted well into the moon’s long night.

  The End