by C. C. Ekeke
“Alright.” He pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. GiGi’s reaction illustrated how much she enjoyed the sight of his chiseled brown torso. “You and I both have the whole day off starting tonight. You ready?”
“For your ‘all-day-sex celebration?’” GiGi couldn’t say that without giggling.
“Our all-day-sex celebration,” Khal corrected stiffly. What better way to celebrate two successful CT missions? “I’ll get pre-game snacks. I expect you naked and hungry when I return.”
GiGi gazed up at him through her eyelashes, batting them invitingly. “Hungry for what, gorgeous?”
And Khal rose to full attention. He smirked. “Be right back.”
Khal headed to his common room for the cold storage unit at the far end, a shiny white structure and cylinder-shaped.
VVVMP! Khal jumped, recognizing that sound. Teleportation. He turned to face Addison Raichoudry. The blue long-sleeved shirt and black slacks clung to that compact figure like second skin. Addison’s raven-black hair was French-braided back tightly except for blunt bangs hovering over her full eyebrows. Why she’d come to Khal’s quarters, he neither knew nor cared.
Then Addison opened her mouth angrily. Uh-oh… Khal waved her silent in muted panic, pointing angrily at his bedroom where GiGi waited.
Addison clenched her jaw shut and marched forward, coming up to his chin.
Khal groaned. “This better be quick,” he mouthed. There was an all-day-sex celebration to be had.
“Genny? One last work thing popped up. Be right back,” Khal barely got out before Addison grabbed his arm. VVVMPP! His quarters vanished in a rush of roaring darkness.
Half an instant later, Khal and Addison were bathed in a ubiquitous emerald glow. He took a quick sweep of his new surroundings. The Veranda near Hollus Maddrone’s highest level, its outside gallery covered by a transparent forcefield and giving a spectacular view of Zeid’s emerald clouds. Perfect for private conversations.
“Alright, APR. Make it quick.” Khal turned back to Addison, who pasted him across the face.
The hard slap spun him halfway around. “OWWW!!” He clutched his smarting face, stars dancing before his eyes. “What the hell—”
“You TOLD D’Urso about Cobalt?” Addison hollered.
For a moment Khal stared blankly before the subtext clicked. “Oh, that.” Over two months ago Captain Nwosu had held week-long training at Cobalt Waystation to select Sam’s CT-2 lineup. During that grueling week, Addison had requested Khal’s expertise on getting closer to Captain Nwosu.
Khal had provided lots of vigorous practical instruction, telling only one other being.
Meaning Sam rubbed it in Addison’s face. He swore under his breath. “She had tasked me to keep an eye on the other Brigadiers, remember? I only told Sam I provided you some ‘pointers.’” He swallowed a laugh at his own pun. “I never revealed that you tried to seduce Nwosu and he rejected you.”
Addison approached him angrily. “Like that’s any better—?”
“I had to give her something.” He raised his hands as if stopping hovercar traffic. “Or she’d know I lied. Which would be bad for me!” Khal paused, studying Addison closely. The flushed coppery skin, the faintly slurred speech, the loose motions from someone usually so rigid. “You’re drunk?”
Addison bristled, raising a single finger. “I had ONE drink.”
Khal snorted. “Lightweight.” This was why he didn’t drink.
Addison swapped her pointer finger for a middle one, still an uncouth gesture. “D’Urso invited me and Bevrolor out to celebrate CT-2’s success. I stayed for one drink. Being civil like Captain Nwosu instructed.” She fidgeted with her hands. “At one point I said, ‘Despite our misunderstandings. I’m glad I stayed on CT-2.’ Wanna know her reply??”
Not really. But Khal feigned interest to speed this along. “Do tell.”
“She said ‘I’m glad I let you.’” Addison’s nostrils flared. “I was this close to telling that Earther slut I knew about your arrangement with her!”
Khal’s heart leaped into his throat. “Which you cannot do!” He grabbed Addison’s shoulders. “Keep your mouth shut until I say otherwise!” His arrangement with Sam wasn’t something he ever divulged. Addison had accidentally found out. If this became public, it would pluto his professional future. And probably my life expectancy. “You want a seat at the adults’ table, you have to behave and play the game.” Khal planned to rise high within Star Brigade, only after learning all he could from Sam…and performing her shady side missions. If Addison wanted to rise alongside him, he had to keep her on a leash. “Deploying knowledge like that is all about timing.”
Addison shrugged him off. “I’m a goddamn slicer. Of course I know that!”
Khal snorted. “Not when you’re drunk.”
“One drink!” Addison sighed. “My lips are sealed. I promise.”
He believed her, for now. “Know what?” A decadent idea popped into Khal’s mind. “I have just the thing to take your mind off Sam and your schoolgirl crush for Nwosu!”
Addison’s gaze narrowed. “Which is?”
Khal gave her tight little body a smoldering onceover, which was easy to overlook given Raichoudry’s unpleasant temperament. “Teleport us back to my quarters. Join my celebration with GiGi,” he replied in his sexiest voice. “I can get her onboard with your participation.”
Addison rolled her eyes in disgust. But she hadn’t refused.
Khal stepped into her personal space, cupping her chin in his hand so she was forced to meet his gaze. “Besides.” He stood so close, their lips nearly touched. “Wouldn’t be our first threesome, right?”
Hearing Addison’s breath hitch, Khal knew he had her and leaned in for a kiss.
VVVMP! Khal lurched forward but caught himself in time. He whirled around, searching every inch of the veranda. “She didn’t…!”
Addison was gone, leaving Khal shirtless and barefoot.
Shock gave way to churning anger. “Seriously??”
Chapter 58
Tonight, the Aquopera Company put on a performance for the ages.
Galdorian Aquopera involved massive bodies of floating saltwater confined in zero-gravity forcefields, with twenty or more Galdorian water dancers inside swimming, twirling, and somersaulting in sync to music and each other. Tonight’s performance featured two bodies of saltwater the dancers moved between. Ceiling spotlights accentuated the concert—plunging the audience in an eerie azure glow.
Aquopera was one of Galdor’s finer imports, always drawing the Union’s uppercrust no matter what memberworld they occurred on. This Aquopera Company was hands down the finest on Terra Sollus.
Thaomé had a private booth high above the main audience, captivated by the performance. This told a saga of the Galdorians’ struggles to unify their disparate tribes centuries ago against an alien menace.
Four dancers swam from the bottom of the floating water in looping arcs, spraying different color dyes to fashion a quadruple helix. They represented the four major Galdorian tribes, each wanting for something greater yet unable to surmount the eccentricities keeping them apart.
The cavernous and eerie aquaopera score driving the tale came from Galdorian deep-water coral fashioned into complex musical instruments.
Thaomé rested a hand over her chest and gasped. Her evening dress tonight glittered from its jeweled aesthetics, its deep plunging neckline reaching down to her waist. The white color matched the silvery-white mane she’d pulled back in a knotted hive high atop her head.
The audience below was awed by the visuals, the music, the harrowing story, and the water dancers’ stunning maneuvers. Thaomé felt the emotions stirring from the hundreds in attendance, a delicious sensation bolstering her own reaction to the performance.
Just as the Korvenite was losing herself in the performance, a notification flashed silently on the far left of the screen protecting her booth. Tonight’s meeting.
Thaomé glowered. �
��Just when I’m getting into this.”
Yet according to the meeting organizer, attendance was mandatory. Even Thaomé wouldn’t cross them.
All meeting members were at this Aquopera, scattered somewhere in the audience.
They never met in the flesh at once, for security reasons. She let out an exasperated gust of air and typed her access codes onto the invisible screen. Moments later, an opaque privacy forcefield slid over her booth and walled her off entirely.
Immediately Thaomé was plunged into darkness, seeing nothing beyond her own limbs. Then, little by little, other seated silhouettes formed around her.
One silhouette stood at the head of the table, generically humanoid and nondescript.
Each seated member knew each other, but not the group organizer’s identity. Thaomé had dug deep for any info on this being, as had other members.
But their benefactor remained an enigma, despite uniting so many Union Space power players in his series of games. Most had accepted the benefactor’s invite because despite their wealth and power, they wanted more. More access, more influence, more money, more everything. And their benefactor had delivered multifold when any succeeded in one of his competitions.
Thaomé was no different. But her reason for accepting membership was boredom. The albino Korvenite wanted to feel challenged again. Her failure in this last game was a bit more challenge than she cared for, but she did feel invigorated to dominate in the next game she partook in.
“This summit will be brief.” The standing shadow’s voice was masked, sounding deep and yet genderless. “The search for our ultimate weapon’s unique power source continues, with no worthy entrant.”
Thaomé fought back an eye roll. This “search” had gone on since she had joined, Finding a unique power source for their benefactor’s ultimate weapon. If not for Star Brigade, my Zenith Point would be powering this weapon, she fumed.
“The game on Faroor went in a totally different direction,” the silhouette continued. “With both competitors failing to achieve their primary objectives.”
Thaomé’s violet skin flushed in embarrassment, despite none being able to see her.
“Along with the defeat of the Faroor Economic Expansion Bill, due to its weak-willed author.”
“However,” Tomoriq Fel’s voice rang out from the opposite side of the table, urgent and arrogant. His location among those silhouettes remained hidden. “The Faroor gambit was not a complete loss.”
“Correct,” the benefactor replied. “Tomoriq Fel received points for assassinating Union Senator Praece son of Proejer and facilitating the execution of former Defense Minister Haemekk.”
Thaomé’s eyes widened. Praece’s death was him? She’d had her suspicions, even though all evidence pointed toward a lone Farooqua suicide bomber. Tomoriq Fel truly didn’t leave loose ends. The Korvenite shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“There will be more opportunities for points once each Chouncilatorial candidate reveals themselves. That will be all.” As soon as they were dismissed, Thaomé aimed to sign off and return to the Aquopera show. “Fel. Thaomé,” the benefactor boomed. “Remain.”
Once every other silhouette vanished, the shadows masking Thaomé and Fel fell away. Fel wore one of his high-collared suits, steel-grey with red loafers. The benefactor remained in silhouette, of course.
“You lied to me, Tomoriq,” the silhouette boomed.
Fel recoiled in alarm by the benefactor’s anger. “About what?”
“Star Brigade. You assured me their involvement in the Ttaunz-Farooqua conflict would have minimal impact in your gambit.” The benefactor’s crossness sent ripples across Thaomé’s skin even though not focused her way.
“From what I’ve seen, this group is a genuine threat. One that I want resolved so they do not obstruct another competition. That will be all.” The conference room vanished. Thaomé found herself back in her booth seat, bathed in the watery blue radiance of the Aquopera performance reaching its midpoint.
The show finished in spectacular fashion an orv later. Thaomé had found it hard to focus after meeting with the benefactor. She took dainty strides through the vast lobby carved of glittering coral imported directly from Galdor’s oceans. Thaomé had little time for its splendor. Even though the benefactor spoke directly to Fel, keeping her present meant that his directive was for both of them.
Great, she seethed. Another game where I compete with Fel. Only this time, she would handle Star Brigade before Fel and win.
“Thaomé,” Tomoriq called out from nearby. To her chagrin, the human approached swiftly. “A word.”
“Not you,” the Korvenite growled, not bothering to look his way. “Not in the mood.” She kept walking.
Fel blocked her path. “This will only take a few moments. Please?”
Against her better judgement, she agreed. Within a few macroms, they found a private chamber to converse. This ovular room was snug, meant for private transmissions.
No doubt Fel would promise hellish retribution for her role in cratering his pet Senator’s economic bill. Thaomé clenched her jaw, preparing to counter Tomoriq’s threats.
“For starters,” the human began in pacifying deportment. “You are truly a worthy adversary, Thaomé.”
The Korvenite hadn’t expected this. She maintained her cold, haughty veneer, giving him nothing. “As were you, which could have been relayed via holotransmission.”
“True.” Fel nodded and withdrew his hand. “Unless a compliment was all I offered. You and I unite to handle our Star Brigade problem.”
Thaomé hadn’t expected that either, but a partnership with Korvenite-hating Tomoriq Fel was a star too far. She probed the edges of his emotions, and found him genuine. “Why? To try executing me like you did Senator Praece?”
Fel chuckled. “You know the rules. No member of our little society can make such a move against another without just cause or consent of at least three member—”
Thaomé had heard enough. “This conversation is over.” She turned on her heel to storm away.
“A joke.” Fel raised his hands disarmingly. “But you heard the Benefactor’s orders.”
The words chilled through her. Thaomé was very cognizant of the shortened life expectancy of former members who had failed to pull their weight or defied the Benefactor. “And why would I need your help with Star Brigade?” she threw back with a withering gaze.
Tomoriq looked at her, but the human’s stare seemed light-years away. “I have history with Star Brigade.” His mouth became a hard, bitter line. “And have been cultivating ways to deal with them.”
“Yet you did not deploy these means during the Faroor gambit?”
Fel’s gaze focused on her again. “Wasn’t the right time. I wanted to better observe their proficiencies and…as you saw with Haemekk’s downfall, use them to my advantage.”
The Korvenite scratched her chin, glancing upward. Clearly Star Brigade was a sore point for the untouchable Tomoriq Fel. It would be easier to watch him languish against them. But Thaomé did want to destroy this little military unit that had plutoed her gambit to steal the Zenith Point. Just when I was prepared to refuse his offer. “You’ve come dangerously close to interesting me,” she answered in controlled and calm tones.
That knowing smile which Thaomé loathed spread across Tomoriq’s face. “Of course I have.”
“Don’t start pleasuring yourself yet, Fel,” Thaomé warned with a sharp hand chop. While mildly intrigued by his offer, the Korvenite wasn’t one hundred percent onboard yet. Especially since she was coming in at a disadvantage. “How would this partnership be balanced when you have all this insight into Star Brigade while I have none?”
“You do have insight.” Tomoriq’s smirk widened obnoxiously. “You just don’t realize it.”
The Korvenite swallowed her bubbling impatience. “Explain,” she sighed.
Fel raised a forearm and pulled back his sleeve, revealing glowing angular veins of circuitry r
unning up the length of his forearm. With what seemed to be a mental command, a holoimage appeared above his forearm. “Recognize this face?”
Thaomé gaped and gasped. The image revealed a young human male, swarthy in complexion, with shaggy black waves of hair. Those charcoal-grey eyes could melt any female’s heart, no matter the species. All that came with flawlessly chiseled bone structure untouched by biosculpting. He was beautiful.
Longing and loathing churned together in Thaomé’s gut as a name she hadn’t uttered in years left her lips, “Khaladin.”
“Correct,” Fel’s oily voice replied somewhere in the background. “A rising Star Brigade operative. I believe you two were familiars many years ago?”
Thaomé tore her eyes away from the image and regarded Fel in disbelief. How he knew about her connection to Khaladin Al Abdullah, she could never guess. And Fel would undoubtedly never reveal. He watched her reaction, irksomely superior.
This is a dangerous human. The realization made her answer much easier. “I’m in.” The Korvenite offered out her hand the way humans did when making deals.
Tomoriq met her halfway with a hearty handshake. “Wise choice, partner.”
Chapter 59
“The investigation could take as little as a few weeks,” Habraum stated, “or as long as several months.”
The color drained from Cortes’s face. “Months?”
“Worst-case scenario,” the Cerc assured, placing a hand on her trembling shoulder. “I spoke with my superior on accelerating the process and obtaining counsel from UComm’s Military Advocate General.”
This prompted Cortes’s next question. “Am I banned from field duty?”
“You’ll have to complete two weeks of mandatory counseling before returning to active status. After that, it’s based on my and the counselor’s recommendations.”
“Dulce Madre.” Cortes ran both hands through her hair. “Will I get charged with murder?”
“No.” Habraum shook his head vehemently. “This incident will go on your record but it was a clear accident. Even Fiyan knows that. V’Korram and Tyris will both speak on your behalf, as they were there. As will everyone else on CT-1.”