Atone By Treaty

by Kayla Stonor

  “No.”

  Tennant displayed a disbelieving sneer, his attitude stiff and hostile. Oltu’s frustration deepened. Tennant’s presence hindered Oltu’s prospects with Gabrielle. Skal. He had given the colonel cause to work against him.

  Oltu heard Gabrielle’s raised voice first as they entered the residence quarters. Gabrielle used her UR translator to speak K’lahn, and he found her choice of words interesting.

  “You fetch your precious god now,” she hectored the guard outside her door, “or I vow–”

  Oltu raised his eyebrows as she threatened the K’lahn’s... balls?

  Tennant quickened his step to reach her.

  The K’lahn guard saw them first and stepped back, snapping to attention.

  Gabrielle swung around and her eyes went straight to Tennant. “Cale, thank God. Are you all right?”

  Tennant shot Oltu a baleful look, recoiled as Oltu struggled not to gut the man, but recovered quickly. He answered Gabrielle’s question with impressive equanimity. “I didn’t sleep well... worrying too much about you.”

  Oltu jerked his head at the guard, unable to speak. Roiling jealousy addled his brain. Somehow he raked back a semblance of control. His Qui recognized a rival for Gabrielle’s affections and he struggled to identify what had changed overnight. Yesterday, Gabrielle and Tennant’s relationship had been in the past and Oltu had accepted that. Today, Gabrielle searched Tennant’s eyes with yearning.

  Gabrielle stepped between them before Tennant could stop her. “I don’t know what’s going on between you both, but cut it out. Now!”

  Tennant set her aside and Oltu’s rage spiked at the sight of Tennant’s hands on his female.

  Jsut’s voice spoke via the ship’s internal communications. “Lord Oltu, the Qui Empress commands an audience.”

  Skal!

  Oltu checked his anger. Sonestra had answered his request with unusual speed, or the impending Surashan war continued to engulf the empire in unpredictable ways. He could not delay response. It took considerable will to speak with even a semblance of calm.

  “I will have a guard escort you for something to eat.”

  He’d specify a room less private than Gabrielle’s cabin, somewhere that did not accommodate a bed.

  *****

  “He didn’t hurt me, I swear.” Gabrielle failed to meet Cale’s eyes.

  She poked the egg-like pudding around the silicone tray, a hot flush climbing her neck as her treacherous memory supplied a raunchy image of her atop Oltu, his beautiful pecs hers for the taking. An ache bloomed between her legs and she shifted on her seat.

  “Fuck!” Cale stabbed a two pronged fork into a thick slab of cut meat. “You did it! You went and fucked him! Are you crazy?”

  “Shhh!” Gabrielle gestured at the open door, the guard just outside, his sharp lizard hearing no doubt lapping up the juicy detail.

  “Jaden warned you about him!”

  “I know, but Oltu did nothing wrong.” She remembered Saiorse. “Not to me.”

  “You’ve no idea what he’s capable of!”

  “Shhh, Cale, lizards have excellent hearing!”

  Cale split a hunk of bread and constructed a meat sandwich. “I don’t care. Oltu and I have an excellent understanding. Gabrielle, end this stupidity. Explain you’ve changed your mind. Say you want to return to Central Command.”

  “Too late. Dad’s gonna kill me either way so I might as well finish my mission.” She winced as Cale shook his head in disgust. “I thought about this all night.”

  Cale shoved a hand out and pulled up his sleeve. “So did I.”

  Gabrielle swallowed. Cale’s body was swimming with nanobiotes. The wounds on his wrists might look healed, but they were actually very recent.

  “I spent the night chained to a post. Couldn’t stand straight, couldn’t sit.”

  She paled. “God, Cale, I’m sorry.” Embarrassment and anger flooded her cheeks.

  Damn Oltu!

  “Gaby, he asked about you. Made it clear I should answer. He knows about us. He knows about your past.”

  Bile chased her breakfast back up her throat. She placed down her spoon, digesting his words, the implications. “Shit. He gave me control. I didn’t have to ask. He knew what I needed.”

  “Yeah, I bet he did, but it was nothing to do with some instinctive connection between the two of you. C’mon on, Gaby, wake up! Oltu’s playing you! He’s doesn’t want to help you! He wants you!”

  Gabrielle sipped water before her throat turned to cardboard. She wanted to cry. Cale was right to be furious. Oltu had played her from the start. The rescue, the cat and mouse game in the village, making her think the al-Doziyen had found them when the approaching forces included her UR protection detail.

  He’d identified her buttons and pressed them.

  “Command needs to know there’s a cloaked warship in orbit,” Cale added.

  She nodded. “Yes, of course. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  Finally Cale lowered his voice. “He wants you, Gaby. Use that against him.”

  *****

  Sonestra surprised Oltu with her willingness to hear his request.

  “I believe Dralexi is falsifying its human census,” she explained. “The only humans requesting repatriation to Earth are past their prime. Informants confirm conditions have improved, but the Dralexin mines remain brutal. I want this resolved. You negotiated the Dralexin trade agreement, Saiorse is your tribute. Reject her if necessary.”

  In other words, declare war.

  Oltu sometimes forgot Sonestra’s ruthless streak. She certainly provided him with significant leverage to achieve his mission, both imperial and personal.

  “How long will it take you?” she asked.

  “If my enhancements to the hyperdrive prove sound, I can reduce the time-lapse by half.”

  Sonestra beckoned to someone at her side. A second later, Jaden moved into the screen, his hand resting on Sonestra’s shoulder as he leaned over her head.

  Oltu tensed, expecting a rebuke for abducting Gabrielle.

  “Impressive,” Jaden said. “I assume you will be upgrading your fleet.”

  He referred to the hyperdrive. Oltu relaxed. “Of course.”

  “Courier the specs to Katar. I want Solomon to look them over.”

  “Bea Solomon isn’t qualified to express an opinion.”

  “If Bea can reduce energy emissions on the Thrak ‘Qui by forty percent, she’s qualified to judge whether your enhancements meet this new standard, and if not, to collaborate with you to reduce the gap.”

  Oltu inclined his head, persuaded, and impressed. He wanted to see Bea’s work. Cloaking systems consumed considerable power fragmenting energy emissions.

  “Your message didn’t mention your guests,” Jaden said with quiet deception. “I assume Gabrielle Rooster and Colonel Tennant are in good health.”

  Skal, President Rooster must have established a line straight to Jaden.

  Accepting Jaden’s new position in the Royal Court was a constant battle, even though Oltu had supported the Court’s decision to appoint Jaden to the highest military designation in the Qui command, one reserved for galactic war. The Qui had not required an Aphitor for generations. Few were qualified. Armed with little more than K’lahn wreckage and stubborn resistance, Jaden’s military leadership of Earth’s resistance had pushed back the K’lahn invasion.

  There had been much acrimony between Jaden and Oltu, Earth’s tribute a source of conflict between Sonestra and her Court, but Jaden had proven worthy of his sister’s blind devotion, worthy of her love.

  The Qui Empire evolved and Oltu no longer denied Jaden the respect he had earned.

  Neither would he bow.

  “I am providing Gabrielle Rooster assistance. Her father ordered Colonel Tennant to ensure she returned safely and I am accommodating the president’s wishes.”

  “President Rooster intended that order be executed immediately.”

  “I made Ga
brielle a promise. Honor demands I fulfill my word.” Oltu watched Jaden’s lips thin. “They are under my protection. Neither will come to harm and if I locate President Rooster’s son, then I imagine Earth’s president will be grateful.”

  Jaden did not hide his conflict. “You’re sure Ben Rooster was sent to Dralexi.”

  “The data is conclusive.”

  “Whether he survived the journey, or the mines, is another question,” Sonestra pointed out. “It is immaterial. Dralexi owes the Qui Empire a modicum of respect.”

  “Take another warship or two with you,” Jaden decided. “Don’t give Dralexi reason to argue. We don’t have the time. Target the government. The point is to persuade Dralexi to comply with the Qui’s order to free the humans. Not for you to kill Dralexin in mass slaughter.”

  “In that case, are you sure you wish me to return Gabrielle to Earth? A human ambassador might be useful.”

  Sonestra straightened, a single raised finger demanding both their attention. “Let me bring clarity to this issue. I need the Qui Empire focused on one enemy. Not two, or three, or any other number above one. Dralexi is not of the Qui Empire nor an ally. Earth however is a strategic ally in the war against the Surashan, and Earth’s leader requires his people be granted the right of freedom. That makes his priority my own. Perhaps you could make this clear to the Dralexin authorities, Oltu, and if Gabrielle’s presence will help you focus, and she agrees to accompany you, then honor will ensure both her and Colonel Tennant’s well-being. I believe my position is clear.”

  She terminated the connection before either brother or lover could respond.

  Oltu smiled. Sonestra conjoined his priorities with Jaden’s. He couldn’t harm Gabrielle or Tennant even if he wanted to, and now he could rely on Sonestra to handle President Rooster. She would bring Jaden in line. The Aphitor worked for the Qui Empire, and with the threat of Surashan invasion imminent from across the Sura K’la gateway, Earth’s interests aligned with the Qui.

  *****

  “Ben’s alive?”

  Gabrielle’s heart thumped wildly, joy colliding with apprehension. Oltu’s expression looked ominous, his delivery of such incredible news too downbeat, and Cale’s brow was furrowed into a disbelieving crevasse.

  “I can’t confirm that, not yet,” Oltu replied. “I am awaiting data from Dralexi. The records show your brother was sent to Dralexi, a mining world with an inexhaustible need for workers. The work is dangerous.”

  Gabrielle stared at him in horror. “How far is Dralexi?”

  He tapped his screen. A revolving map projected a route from Earth to a planet nearside of the Sagittarius-Carina arm. “Three hundred Earth light-years—typically a journey of four point five Earth weeks for a Qui warship.”

  Her heart sank. “So long?”

  “A month is quick,” Cale pointed out. “You said typically?”

  “My crew is testing an upgrade that will cut the journey to two Earth weeks. We can leave as soon as test results confirm the hyperdrive is operating within safe parameters.”

  Two weeks! Gabrielle could hardly believe it. “I need to tell my father!” Her eyes jumped to Cale. She’d promised to return to Central Command. If she returned now, would her father let her go to Dralexi? How could he not? Ben could be alive!

  Not wishful thinking, not anymore!

  “Why was Ben pulled off the transport ship?” Cale asked. “He was seen being loaded.”

  “He was in poor health. The report indicates internal bleeding. The ship was over-capacity and the pilot ordered unviable bodies off the ship.” Oltu grimaced, perhaps realizing too late his cruel choice of words. “A healer happened to be at the prison camp, a human. He stabilized your brother. When Ben’s condition improved, he was reassigned to a supply ship destined to Dralexi.”

  “Reassigned.” Cale repeated the word in disgust. He looked ready to rip Oltu’s head off, his fists opening and clenching. He turned to Gabrielle. “This means Ben’s not on Earth, Gaby. He’s not one of the others the Salhi mentioned.”

  Gabrielle blinked. She’d nearly forgotten her mission. “Cale, wait.”

  “No! Enough! Your father decides who negotiates with the Salhi. Not you.”

  A lump formed in Gabrielle’s throat. Cale kept doing this, upending her world.

  “I can still find Ben.” She turned to Oltu. “Is that what you’re saying, that you can take me to my brother?”

  “Assuming I receive confirmation of life. You would be under my protection, an envoy of Earth by order of the Honored Qui. The Empress is speaking with your father. Hopefully this will resolve any conflict. I believe Colonel Tennant is insisting you return to Central Command? Is that what you wish?”

  Gabrielle hesitated. If Oltu wasn’t leaving for Dralexi immediately...

  Cale glared at her, daring her to say no.

  “The Salhi trust me, Cale. One meeting, so I can explain that someone else will take over the negotiations, so they know I haven’t bailed on them. We know who we can trust and they know me. If we drop in unannounced, the meeting can’t be ambushed. The al-Doziyen won’t know. It will be safer that way.”

  “No.”

  “My promise to you holds,” Oltu said. “It is your choice.”

  Cale rounded on him. “Damn you! You only care about getting Gabrielle in your bed. You’re betting on Rooster approving a trip to Dralexi.”

  Cale thought Oltu played her, but Oltu didn’t have to locate her brother. He’d gone above and beyond to do her this favor, something no one else could have done. If Oltu was manipulating her emotions, he could have indulged the idea that her brother hid in the Fringes, maybe a prisoner of the al-Doziyen. Instead he’d involved the Qui Empress and opened the possibility of an intergalactic journey to rescue her brother. Sonestra would negotiate with the president. If her father knew she had the Qui’s protection, surely he’d let her go.

  “When will Dralexi get back to you?”

  “In a few hours, maybe longer. You have time for a meeting. The Thrak ‘Yla can scan the area, focus on Salhi locations and help you locate an intermediary you trust. Colonel Tennant can arrange UR protection and I will accompany you both in my transport under stealth cloak. The al-Doziyen will never know you were there.”

  Gabrielle nodded, looked to Cale, unwilling to go against him, unable to relinquish her mission, not yet. Not if she could salvage something tangible. Re-establishing lines of communication with the Salhi would allow her to go after Ben with a clear conscience.

  Cale shook his head, his jaw tense, angry.

  “Please, Cale,” she whispered. You owe me this.

  Her eyes conveyed the unspoken message, playing on his guilt, not giving an inch. Cale wasn’t giving way either. Oltu remained silent, his argument done, allowing them to reach resolution between them. She saw the moment Cale relented, a drop of his shoulders as her silent plea punctured his resolve.

  “I’ll speak to your father,” he said. “Explain your plan, ask for backup. If he agrees, then we’re on. But no more cloaked warships in our orbit. As soon as we’re done, UR forces will collect me and Gabrielle, and you return to this ship and back to your fleet. Agreed?”

  “Is that what you want?” Oltu asked Gabrielle.

  She nodded. If her father said no, she’d fall in line. She knew now Oltu wouldn’t stop her. His attitude had altered, perhaps because he believed she’d be with him for weeks on end. Although Cale could be right; Ben could be nothing more than a sick ruse, bait in a sadistic manipulative game.

  She took a deep breath.

  “Yes. That’s what I want.”

  Chapter Seven

  Her father said no, ordered Cale to return her without delay.

  Cale’s stoic expression didn’t hide his relief, not from her.

  What could she do? He’d held up his end of their bargain. Her quarrel was with her father, except she’d already circumvented a presidential directive and at Cale’s expense. Persuasive arguments and barnstormin
g speeches—that never sounded so good when spoken out loud—roiled across Gabrielle’s thoughts. Power psyching worked better without a guilt trip running alongside.

  By the time Oltu landed their transport on the hover pad south of UR headquarters at Chenois, Gabrielle’s cheeks were hot and her hands clammy.

  Didn’t help that Oltu had opted for the menacing alien look—full-on scales.

  The First Lord of the Qui Empire did not pander to human sensibilities—way less diplomatic than his sister—but Oltu had been considerate the last twenty-four hours. His decision to adopt Qui form now was asinine, deliberate, and symptomatic of his sour mood.

  Nerves on edge, Gabrielle stepped out onto an asphalt runway little darker than the overcast sky and thanked God as she caught sight of a trusted friend waiting to greet them.

  General Stepan Zubarev walked over, flashed Gabrielle a sympathetic smile by way of greeting, slated Cale with a look that screamed WTF-were-you-thinking?, and addressed Oltu. “Welcome back to Earth, Lord Oltu.” His tone laid bare the lie.

  Oltu inclined his head in non-committal reply.

  Oh joy.

  The general’s expression remained stern as he escorted them inside the monotone squat building, a recent and uninspiring construction built from materials salvaged from nearby Brussels, once the proud seat of the European Union, now a looted carcass. Command of the UR military forces had not completely erased the maverick in Stepan Zubarev, but General Jaden was a tough act to follow and Zubarev had acquired more than his fair share of white strands over the past year.

  “What’s happening?” Gabrielle asked him, walking fast to keep up. “Why’s Dad at Chenois?”

  Zubarev slung Oltu a reproving glance. “News of a cloaked Qui warship in orbit has the regional governors rattled.”

  “Ah.”

  The UR headquarters in North Europe housed elected representatives from across United Regions territory. Sovereign national boundaries pre-invasion had been superseded by larger regions organically evolved out of pockets of human resistance, expanding and merging as vigilante groups and former military units united in a common cause. Telling that General Zubarev opted to help President Rooster soothe political tensions here rather than remain at Central Command overseeing Earth’s defense against alien attack. Her father had predicted the re-emergence of nationalist interests and the regional governors were under immense pressure to hold the UR together.