by Vi Voxley
“Just in case, however, you can assure them that while I search for the answer for that question, I will not let the Fearless roam around in the galaxy."
"If you kill it, General," Kerven began again, but this time he'd crossed a line.
Braen took a step closer, fire burning in his bright blue eyes. He could see how tense the young warrior grew, how Kerven's mind worked to calculate if he should defend himself or endure.
"I expect better from you," the general growled, low and dark. "We are Brions. The Galactic Union thinks we're trigger-happy, bloodthirsty maniacs. It does not mean we have neither control nor reason. Your lack of trust is insulting. I will not kill the Fearless before I know how to make it stick. I understand what imprisonment means."
Kerven took the scolding with silence, waiting for Braen to decide whether or not to let him live. It was no choice at all for the general, but it sometimes served to remind the warriors under his command a few simple truths.
Brion generals didn't demand loyalty or respect. They either earned it or they didn't and the lives of the latter were short. Braen had already shown that his career would be nothing but long.
Doubt was another matter entirely. Warriors might have hated their generals, plotted to challenge them, but until they dared to do so, they were still expected to follow their commander's every order without question. And they did.
He let Kerven go after a few heart-stopping moments, silently approving of the warrior's calm. Braen saw greatness ahead for the boy whose valor squares betrayed almost nothing, although his trained eyes could make out the smallest hints of fear.
That was how Braen ended up tasked with killing the one monster in the galaxy who couldn't die.
One he had already vanquished once, no less.
The fates must be feeling particularly difficult, he thought.
Braen wouldn't have been fit for a Brion general if he didn't take that as a compliment, a testament to his abilities and strength.
A week before he found the girl with fire-red hair and big green eyes who was going to change his life, Braen met with the paladin who had killed the last incarnation of the Fearless. While the universe was thrown into chaos, the Elders had been reluctant to let the generals know of what was going on with Verien and the hunt after it.
It meant that the majority of the generals had learned later of the destruction The Fearless had caused and of the loss of one of their own vessels and a troop of soldiers. It had kept Brion flagships from riddling the skies above Verien.
Later, Braen learned that this was in part due to heavy debate in the councils on who of the generals should be tasked with tracking down and dealing with the mythical beast, or if someone should be sent at all.
Also, apparently the Palians had feared that if a Brion flagship interfered and the Fearless grew as powerful as the lifestone could make it, then losing some of the prime weapons that could be used against it later would be an enormous risk. As such, the quiet, wise race had been less than forthcoming with information until their paladin resolved the situation.
Now that, however, very nearly did count as an insult to Braen. It should not have been a question at all. He slayed it once, he could do it again. In his mind, the problems with Verien would have found swifter justice had he been notified in time.
The past is not to be dwelled upon, Braen had reminded himself shortly before meeting the paladin and his bride.
The two guardians of an icy mining planet called Verien came to see him aboard the Benevolent. They were the ones who discovered the secret of the Fearless and nearly paid for that discovery with their lives, trying to protect the lifestone reservoir from the monster.
The governor of the planet, Audrey Price, was a Terran. She was a beautiful woman with silvery blonde hair and very light green eyes, willful and strong.
The commander of Palian paladins, Tieran, wouldn't have been out of place in the ranks of Brions. He was as tall as Braen, deep hazel eyes observing the general with quiet pride, as was custom for his people. Unlike the rest of the Palians with lidless eyes and long, thin bodies, their paladins were built similarly to Brions.
Another form of praise, the general thought with amusement. For a galaxy that hates and fears us so much, they mix it with admiration. As they should.
Braen had seen a few of the hidden warriors over the years, but he knew them to be a well-kept secret of the peaceful race. Considering the prowess of the paladins on the fields of war, he could understand the reasoning for this.
He had never met either of them before, but Braen could see how the two managed to overcome a Fearless. There was a power to the two of them, in their unity, that made Braen almost… what was the word? Jealous? It only worked to remind him that he had yet to hunt down his gesha.
They were sent to give their firsthand accounts concerning the monster, hoping to shed a little light on the matter.
"I saw the truth when I held the lifestone," Audrey told him. "You should be careful not to let anyone else come into contact with the stone as we've already warned the others. It created a bond between me and everything else living that the stone came into contact with, but I wouldn't pay the price willingly. I would not wish it upon anyone."
She stopped for a moment and Braen saw the way the paladin gently squeezed her hand before Audrey continued. A flash of jealousy that shot through him surprised Braen once more. Every Brion was always on the lookout for their fated mate, but he hadn't realized how badly he desired to meet his second half until he witnessed a love so strong it had overcome the Fearless.
Audrey went on.
"At first, the monster had the upper hand. I felt powerless for a long while. Without the protective bracelet that the Palians gave me, the enemy could see right into my mind and I wasn't able to push back. Only seconds before it died, it was weak enough so I could return the favor."
Her voice was feral and victorious as she said that, something Braen admired greatly. He knew all about fighting back against an overpowering opponent and the courage it took to resist at all.
"That one moment made everything I'd endured worth it," Audrey said with fervor. "I got to pry some secrets from it just like it had done from me before. This I know for a fact. The Fearless isn't a species as we'd thought. After it dies, it is born again, with all the memories of its previous lives. I believe it learns from them, that's why it never returns in the same form. With every defeat, it gets smarter."
Not comforting, but predictable. If it can adapt, so can we.
"Would it be possible to predict where the next incarnation is born?" he asked. "To contain the Fearless like that."
"I don't think so," Audrey admitted, a sad look in her eyes. "When the monster died, I felt its spirit leave. I'm sure it put as much distance between us and it as it could."
"Do you know where it is now?" Braen continued.
Audrey and Tieran exchanged a long look.
"Yes," she said. "Roughly. I can try and tell you where it is. You can keep in touch with me on Verien, but I can't come along. I came into contact with the lifestone and it bound me to the Fearless, in a way. I can't go near it again. The last time almost killed me. But there is a way."
"As the Fearless died, Audrey saw someone else," Tieran added. "A young, red-haired girl finding a lifestone, touching it. Audrey now has a connection to her as well, but the bracelet is suppressing her vision. She can lead you to the girl and together, they'll be able to narrow down the Fearless' location before it grows to be too strong.
“We are not sure if she has found the stone yet, or if the vision was provided from the future. But we know that there is a girl with red hair who has or will touch the stone.”
"That will not be an issue," Braen replied, frowning. "How can the girl go near the Fearless if Miss Price can't?"
"I've held the stone," Audrey said. "She barely touched it. Given that she won't do it again, I think she'll be safe, but just in case the Palians have prepared a bracelet for her a
s well. That's the good news."
Braen smiled, hearing that.
"Let me get this straight," he asked. "I need to find the Fearless. Capture the monster, but not kill it. The only one who can lead me to the beast is a girl somewhere in the great galaxy. And there is bad news?"
Audrey had given a nod, a sympathetic smirk on her lips.
"We know how it sounds, trust me, General. The bad news is, the Fearless is connected to the lifestone as well. Since it literally swallowed down the stone to become stronger, its connection is even more powerful than mine.
“The moment it achieves enough strength and power to go after the nearest supply, it will. Now that it knows what the stone can do, it will not stop for anything to get it."
That is bad news indeed.
"Keep me updated," Braen told the governor. "Everything you find to be important, I want to hear of it at once."
Searching for the girl turned out to be a difficult task with barely anything to go by. Not even sure if this woman existed yet, though Audrey seemed to think she did because of the connection she felt, she had pointed Braen in the right direction, but narrowing it down was difficult. The region of space she named was teeming with planets that had a dark or darkish ocean.
And on most of those worlds, Terrans were looking for a lifestone.
When Braen heard of that, he'd assumed the girl was as good as found, but it still took a while for him to hear of a young woman who matched the description. All the personnel files were naturally at his command, but the Galactic Union was playing it as safe as they could.
The foreman of the Union's council was a Palian and he wasn't taking any chances with the safety of the mystery girl or the lifestone. As much as Brions may have been allies, the galaxy still looked at them in a slightly lopsided fashion. General Worgen coming back from the dead hadn’t helped any with that. In a way, the Brions were as feared as the Fearless, and seemingly just as immortal.
No wonder Braen was having a hard time getting information.
Audrey Price confirmed that the Fearless was still too weak to leave whatever world it was on, but it didn't mean the lifestone was safe. There were plenty of opportunistic species in the galaxy who would have loved a chance to cut themselves a piece of the haul.
He was keenly aware there were a lot of hushed voices suggesting Brions were one of those races. He couldn't exactly blame them. The Brions had a dark and bloody past and they still had a long way to go to be trusted.
In the meanwhile, the general agreed to work in secrecy, keeping his true mission hidden. With all means, they had to avoid the Fearless hearing of the hunt he was about to set upon. Of course, it felt odd to take orders from anyone but the Elders of his people, but Braen happened to agree with the Palians on the matter.
Subtlety wasn't a strong suit of his people, but Braen could manage if the situation called for it.
After everything else concerning the Fearless, Braen thought retrieving his guide would be nothing more than a formality, even considering the obstacles in his way. The truth couldn't have been more different.
He descended on Matthos IV to find a research ship barely large enough to house the crew, floating in the middle of an endless ocean. With no time to waste, Braen refused to wait until his ship maneuvered above the Nautica to allow lowering a ramp to it and simply jumped. Every second he'd spent looking for the girl was time for the Fearless to grow and plot.
Not a moment to spend frivolously.
Braen needed to find the monster and find a way to deal with it before it managed to become something even he couldn't fight.
He landed squarely on the deck of the Terran researcher's boat, rising to his feet. The second the general saw the girl he'd came to collect, everything changed.
The 'formality' turned out to be his gesha.
Mine…
The truth of that struck Braen like a shockwave. The general managed to hide his reaction, but under the calm façade, his entire life was unraveling and rebuilding itself around the female in front of him. From the day of his birth, Braen had only ever lived for himself and for the Brions, serving his people with honor and vigor.
As soon as he laid eyes upon the Terran girl, Braen knew that every breath he took after that moment belonged to her and would until his very last.
The enormity of finding his other half, the one who made him whole, was so great that for a second it felt to the general like the female could stop his heart. Simply looking into those big green eyes made Braen's entire being soar.
Nothing in his life compared, nothing ever could.
The bond between a gesha and her mate, the gerion, was sacred to the Brions. No matter who they took to their beds, there was only one true mate for them, a holy union that couldn't be broken or denied. Every man recognized their fated the second they saw her, experienced the moment that was overwhelming Braen right then.
The gesha, however, was not so lucky. She did not have that moment of recognition.
The general wanted nothing more than to bring the little Terran into his arms and keep her there forever, but he forced himself to wait. First, he had to make sure she was safe. Her well-being was Braen's utmost priority now and even telling her the truth could be put on hold for that assurance.
Not only that, he wanted them to be alone when he revealed the truth to the little Terran. She was not brought up to anticipate the revelation, and the experiences of his brother generals told Braen to approach the subject carefully.
There had been several generals who had found their fated amongst Terrans. In fact, it seemed to be becoming a bit of a joke to the Brion people, at least as much so as Brions joked to begin with. Every general would eventually stumble upon a Terran woman enraging, frustrating, and completely fascinating enough to control even the greatness of an epic warrior.
Braen hadn’t really bought into that theory, but he had to admit being wrong this once.
The universe has no choice but to be made safe now. If my gesha is at stake, I can stop at nothing.
He could never have imagined how hard it was to stay silent, but Braen reminded himself it didn't matter in the end. Their fates were tied together now with an unbreakable bond. He had the whole future ahead to make her his and his alone.
5
Naima
Her world was doing cartwheels and Naima wanted it to stop.
"The Fearless," she repeated, aware that every last member of her team was staring at her like she'd just turned into the legendary monster herself. "The thing I saw – it was a Fearless?"
"It was the Fearless," the general corrected her. "Answer my question. Does it know where you are?"
Most gorgeous man I've ever met, and already the most infuriating. Brions really have no social skills.
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "It saw me, that's for sure."
Captain Gordon's eyes were warning her to be careful and logically she knew he was right, but her temper got the better of her. It was like pouring gasoline on a fire that had been dying out, she couldn’t help but flare to life.
It felt good, though. Since touching the stone, she’s felt like she was suspended in a block of ice. Finally being able to feel like there was fire in her belly was a pleasant change. There was something about this man that seemed to incite rebellion in her, even if every fiber of her being was eagerly ready to submit at the very same moment.
Naima was getting used to not feeling quite herself, though, which made this moment of confusion and conflicting emotions so much easier to deal with.
"I was at the bottom of this ocean at the time, General," she said. "If the Fearless can distinguish one batch of dark, murky water from another, then it's possible, yes."
The general didn't answer at once, merely looked at her with a gaze that quickly cooled Naima's defiant fire.
"If the creature saw you, it knows.”
Braen's voice was like a caress on her skin, deep and sultry and made to command. Her knees were eager t
o buckle. Her body was embarrassingly eager to do a whole lot more.
"We will leave at once," the general went on, an odd look in his sky blue, gorgeous eyes. "You can tell me everything you remember aboard the Benevolent."
Not one for asking, are you?
"Sure," Naima heard her own voice saying. "We can do that, if you begin by telling me everything you know. Like, for example, how exactly can a mythical monster see me through time and space? And where are you planning to take me? I feel like we missed a few steps here."
That was no way to talk to a Brion general, she knew that. Several people behind her suddenly made themselves scarce after hushed gasps, bringing up excuses on the level of a forgotten kettle on the stove as they backed away.
The loud hum of the ship above them and the shadow it cast seemed to only surround Braen, giving his distinct features that much more of an edge.
To her surprise, Naima saw a small smirk playing at the corners of the general's lips. As she grew dizzier, watching the warlord swim out of her sight, she could only think of how good it would feel to kiss those lips.
"Naima..." she heard Doug say before another surge of pain she hadn’t felt since being in the depths of the ocean went through her and she fell.
She never hit the deck.
Suddenly there was a pair of strong arms around her and Naima was rising through the air as the general picked her up. His amazing blue eyes were looking down at her with concern now when before she had been certain she'd seen desire, and maybe a hint of irritation, burn in them.
"This way," Naima could hear Janey's voice call from afar and then she knew nothing anymore.
When she woke, she found herself on the already familiar med bay bed.
This needs to stop happening! she thought, groggily blinking her eyes.
Most of the team was gone, tactically avoiding the Brion general. They were known for getting their answers one way or another and no one wanted to witness the another.