by David, JN
He must have been really upset to tell me all this, which was so different from the propaganda dished out to us in Afren's classes. I took advantage of this to press for more information:
“If that's the case, why do you work for them?”
“Commandant Amar is different”, he replied. “He considers me a friend and trusts me.”
“Really? He seems so scary…” I murmured faintly.
Olden gave a wry smile: “He has to instil fear in his men. That's how one gains respect. And he is extremely powerful. His parents come from two of the most powerful families in the war party. His father and mother were sworn enemies and were reconciled just in time for his birth.”
There seemed to me to be a gap in the story: “How was he conceived if they were enemies?”
“Things are done differently in the Empire”, Olden replied. “You honour your enemy more than your friends. When you declare that someone is your enemy, you're proclaiming him as your equal. It's a question of respect. Amar's father and mother came from enemy families and fought each other. They fell in love but that didn't stop them fighting, even when Amar's mother fell pregnant.”
“And when did they stop?”
“When it was agreed that the honour of the two families had been satisfied, they got married and formed a new family: the Oxonates. The most powerful of the war families.”
I was beginning to think Olden was talking rather too much about Amar, and a horrible suspicion occurred to me.
“Amar is an excellent leader and my best friend”, Olden went on, watching me closely.
Clearly, Amar had asked Olden to relinquish his girlfriend to him, and my dear lover hadn't needed too much persuasion. Perhaps Amar was genuinely attracted to me, but I thought it more likely that he wanted to get a closer look at Lauren. After all, she was the only Asaï he'd found. Whatever that meant.
Becoming Amar's mistress was about as appealing to me as being hugged by a boa constrictor. I realised I had to bring this little game to an end whatever the cost, and snuggled into Olden's arms.
“My darling, I'm so relieved,” I exclaimed. “I was so afraid you were going to tell me you wanted to finish with me!” I shuddered in his arms and gazed up at him adoringly: “I don't think I could ever live without you”, I added, just to hammer the message home.
I saw the panic flicker through Olden's eyes, then resignation: “Nor could I, my love”, he said.
17 Lauren
The days went by and the days turned into weeks without a single opportunity to use the data siphon. Marc and Stephane had vanished from the class. So had Josiane, having most likely blown her cover in betraying Marc. Nothing more had ever been heard of them.
The classes dragged on, each one more pointedly disparaging about our culture than the last. The parties also continued. Getting more and more monotonous, more and more grim. Almost all of the female earthling enthusiasts had become mistresses of Efeghis. A few parties were reserved just for them, and even Auxana wasn't invited. I could just imagine what took place at such parties.
The only bright spot during those weeks was my time with Oniar. He was always just as kind and considerate, always just as dangerous. We spent a good deal of time together, in the parks and even in my room, locked in each other's arms for hours on end. But we still hadn't made love. I was too scared. Of myself, not of him. But I knew the time was fast approaching when I would have to. In order to destroy Amar, I needed him to trust me implicitly. And he would only trust me if he thought his friend had me in his power.
I'd learnt nothing new about our enemies since Olden and Auxana's chat. I knew that I'd embarked on a long and arduous task, and I was prepared for this. But that wasn't enough. I felt the need to be doing something useful.
Which is why one morning I decided to press Amar on the matter of the missing classmates. This was dangerous, and I knew it. But it would have looked strange if I hadn't been concerned over the disappearance of three members of my class.
When I joined Auxana outside our bedrooms on our way to lunch, she rushed up to me enthusiastically.
“Lauren! You look fabulous!” she exclaimed.
I'd recently decided not to wear my uniform for lunch. I spent the afternoons in the city's markets with Auxana, choosing stunning outfits. Ostensibly to please Oniar, but in reality to provide cover for my forays in search of black-market suppliers.
She grabbed my hand and twirled me round so she could admire my outfit. Without interrupting her monologue on my attire, she then motioned to me to activate the crystal she'd just slipped into my hand.
Lauren,
An important member of the war clan is supposed to be coming to visit the general HQ in a few days. She's a commandant from the Eraes family – who are enemies with Amar's family. What people most criticise about Amar is his excessive tolerance towards the earthling population and his widespread use of collaborators. I think we should make use of her visit to inflame the situation. The best thing would be to ask Amar to teach us their language. There's a very powerful taboo against teaching the Efeghi language to foreigners. I can't ask, as Olden will know that I know about this taboo. I don't think Amar would refuse you anything; you're too important to him. Good luck!
This was a brilliant idea of Auxana's. We knew that to extract the maximum amount of information from our enemies, we'd have to learn their language. I had decided to wait so as not to arouse Amar's suspicions, but this opportunity was too good to miss.
Auxana had also mentioned something of vital importance in her report. Something that could change the course of the war. It was crucial that I should find out more about this Commandant Eraes.
Auxana and I made our way to the refectory. The officers' table was almost full. Oniar saw me approaching and gave me a lovely smile. Time stood still for a moment, during which the expression in his eyes and the warmth of his smile made me go weak at the knees. Then I pulled myself together and sat down opposite him while Auxana sat facing Olden.
Amar was diagonally opposite me, so I was able to watch him and observe the effect that the arrival of his enemy would have on him. He seemed perfectly normal, but that didn't mean anything. He was not a man to show his concern.
Oniar was the first to speak: “How are you this morning, Lauren?”
I gave him a shy smile: “Very well, thanks.” I blushed slightly, and for once I wasn't putting it on. We'd spent the previous afternoon in each other's arms in my room. I stopped myself from going any further, but this was becoming increasingly difficult. In his arms, I became a different person. He had the unnerving ability to make me forget my anger. Everything that nurtured my hatred for the enemy.
I turned to Commandant Amar: “Commandant…”
“Amar”, he interrupted with a smile.
I had no idea how he managed to appear so sweet and charming when all my instincts told me he was an incredibly calculating and cruel being. But ever since he'd taken it into his head to seduce Auxana, he'd been putting a lot of effort into changing his image. Of course, he had no chance, but his endeavours were at least worth an acknowledgement, so I smiled back at him.
“Amar, may I ask you something?”
“Yes.” He displayed a polite interest, but inside I could sense his implacable mind, analysing and probing.
“Several students from our class have stopped attending, and I was wondering why.”
“Which students?” he asked.
“Marc and Josiane.” I refrained from mentioning Stephane, for any good collaborator would have come to expect that an earthling who defied the invaders should be punished.
“They have been promoted and have left the general HQ”, replied Amar, without so much as a blush. I sensed Oniar stiffening, but didn't look at him.
“That's wonderful” I exclaimed. “Where have they gone?”
“They're on a training course to prepare them for a position in the Earth's new Government,” said Amar, without really answering my question.
<
br /> “Can Auxana and I also be promoted?”
Oniar flinched slightly and I turned towards him. His face was expressionless and only his eyes revealed his anguish. I pretended to have mistaken the reasons for his reaction and lay my hand on his.
“I don't want to leave you Oniar, but it would be fantastic if we could work together.”
“I know, Lauren”, he smiled. But he sounded subdued. Whatever might have happened to Marc and Stephane, it hadn't happened with his approval. Amar turned to him and they exchanged a long glance. Oniar was the first to look away and Amar addressed me again: “Of course, Lauren”, he replied. “I have the very course for you.”
“And Auxana?”
“The course I have in mind is a personal one, Lauren. There will be another course for Auxana when we find the perfect place for her.”
“Of course”, I replied, concealing my excitement. I was at last going to find out something about these Asaïs, who were so essential to the Efeghis. “When can I start?”
“There are still a few details to sort out”, said Amar, glancing at Oniar, who gazed silently back at him. I had a pretty good idea of the type of details that needed to be sorted out.
“Oh! I almost forgot”, I interrupted. “I also wanted to know if we could have lessons in the Efeghi language.”
The silence around the table was deafening. With a look of horror, Auxana hissed at me: “Lauren! You don't know what you're asking!”
“Did I say something wrong?” I asked innocently.
Oniar took my hand: “No, Lauren. But it's a very complicated matter.”
I turned towards Amar, who remained silent as though deep in his own thoughts. Then, he caught my eye and contemplated me at length.
“I think that could be arranged”, he said at last.
Olden turned quickly towards him, shocked: “Amar…”
“We shall talk about it later”, Amar cut in. “Anything else you'd like to know?” he asked.
“No. Thank you”, I beamed.
At the end of the meal, we decided to go for a walk in the wonderful Sères market. Preparations were under way for more parties and I wanted a new outfit. I also wanted to buy a neuro-inductor. You never know when you might get the urge to blow up somebody's brain. These were of course banned, but I imagined they could be found in the hackers' fair at Sères.
We made our purchases and I took advantage of a bathroom stop to hide the neuro-inductor. This was shaped like a two-centimetre translucent rod. I sewed it into the lining of my bra, between two layers of padding. Its remote control looked like a pretty ring, which I decided to wear. It would be perfectly harmless as long as the neuro-inductor wasn't embedded in somebody's neck.
It would take us several months, maybe even years, to carry out the plan that had begun to take shape as I listened to Auxana's message. So in the meantime I'd have to hide all my equipment. But, to be on the safe side, it was best to get hold of everything we needed straight away. Security measures might change, and it could become impossible to obtain the necessary equipment.
After the evening meal, I hurried back to my room to change. I had a date with Oniar in the garden of the town hall – the one where we'd first spoken to each other. For all my efforts, I arrived late.
Oniar was already waiting for me, leaning against the fountain. He looked so at home here. Calm and handsome, his head tilted slightly forward, a smile playing on his lips. The sight of him seemed to bring a great weight bearing down upon me. I was happy. I was tormented. I was ablaze and irresolute, perfectly in keeping with my role, for once. But with Oniar, I wasn't acting. That was the danger.
He caught sight of me and advanced towards me, smiling. I flung myself into his arms.
“Lauren…” he murmured into my hair.
I tilted my face towards him and he kissed me. It was a long, slow kiss, which grew deeper. Until I could contain myself no longer, and moved away from him.
“What's the matter?” asked Oniar.
“Come on”, I said, taking him by the hand. There was no point in waiting. Nothing was going to prevent me consummating my feelings for Oniar. And I already knew that this was the only way Amar would allow me to be promoted within the collaboration. I steered Oniar to my room.
Inside, I suddenly felt apprehensive. We'd already been here many times before. We'd even spent hours on the bed, clasped in each other's arms. But I had always known we wouldn't go any further. That my innermost being, the most precious thing I could give, remained inviolable. I don't mean my body. Auxana spent her nights with Olden without ever jeopardising anything of herself, without really giving herself. With Oniar, I was likely to offer myself completely. To give it all. And yet, I knew that I was going to betray him. I'd fallen into a trap of my own making, and it would be sprung that evening, in this bedroom.
As always, Oniar sensed my anxiety. He came up behind me and took me tenderly in his arms: “There's no rush, Lauren. I can wait”, he murmured.
How I hated him being so kind, so considerate. It wrenched at my heartstrings and tore me apart. I wanted to cry, to take him in my arms and scream. I turned to face him and gave him a passionate kiss, then stepped away and started to remove my dress. I'd chosen this dress for him, to please him; I had not chosen it for my role. In a way, that dress was my first betrayal, my first real act of collaboration. I pulled it off, and stood before him in my underwear. As he hesitated, I moved toward him and kissed him passionately.
I wanted him to be carried away by passion, to be brutal, to hurt me. So I could hate him as I should. But of course, he did none of this. He gently pushed me back and kissed me softly on my neck, my shoulders, my breasts. He stopped when he reached my bra, took me in his arms and lay me on the bed.
There, he started kissing me again, slowly, as if he had all the time in the world for this one task.
I trembled in his arms, hungering for more but not daring to ask for it. Totally unbidden, my hands moved to his head and grabbed hold of his hair. He looked up at me and smiled. Then he leaned over again and pushed down the neckline of my bra. He placed his lips on my breast and my hands contorted in his hair.
I was probably hurting him but he carried on, raising his head merely to change sides and attack my other breast with his lips. My back arched into the bed and I became oblivious to everything. Everything that wasn't him, us, and that moment. At last he looked up and unfastened my bra before slowly sliding the straps over my shoulders. I helped him remove it, and began to pull off my knickers, but he took hold of my hands.
“We're in no rush, Lauren. I want to spend all night exploring you.”
He lay me down again and continued kissing my breasts, excruciatingly, exquisitely. I moaned louder and louder and tugged at his hair, but he carried on, undaunted, with the task in hand. Presently, he was kissing me softly beneath my breasts and then on my pelvis, descending slowly to the top of my knickers.
From there, his lips carried on their downward journey, kissing me through the thin cotton, and I let out a whimper. He looked up sharply but realised instantly that I did not want him to stop. Ever. He carried on kissing me right there as my back arched and my whimpers grew louder. I scarcely noticed my knickers slipping down over my legs.
I simply cried out once more with surprise and pleasure when Oniar began kissing me again, this time on my bare skin. I was now holding nothing back, calling his name, gasping and twisting on the bed until my body exploded and convulsed in his arms.
I slowly floated back down to earth. He had kept his arms around me until my storm had abated. I looked at him with fresh eyes. I could see why Amar had insisted on waiting for me to become his mistress before conferring his trust in me. At that moment, I would have done anything for Oniar, absolutely anything. Except betray Auxana. And betraying the Earth amounted to betraying Auxana.
I clung on to this thought, the only obstacle remaining to me, as he climbed back on top of me and began fondling me again.
He wa
s naked but I couldn't even remember at what point he'd undressed. I was aware of his desire against my stomach but felt no fear, or distaste. Far from it; I would have liked to explore his body with my lips, as he had done for me. He murmured, his lips pressed against mine: “Are you ready, my love?”
“Oh yes, Oniar!” I gasped. “Now.” I could wait no longer and clasped him tightly, trying to squeeze his body to mine as hard as I could.
I felt him gently seeking the way in and then pressing against it. Gently, slowly, he came inside me. Each time I grimaced, he would stop and begin gently moving backwards and forwards along the path he had already opened up, arousing my desire until I clutched him once again, begging him to continue.
He took it very slowly, never taking his eyes off me, and I was melting beneath his gaze. When he reached the end, he withdrew and came back a little faster, again and again, until I was swept up once again in a new cascade of sensations.
I was panting once more, moaning ever more vociferously. Then, all of a sudden, the earth exploded yet again and I shouted his name at the top of my voice. He shouted out in unison, and twisted in my arms before falling on top of me. He remained there and I heard him repeating something very softly. It took me a while to realise it was my name: Lauren, over and over again. I kept my arms around him and murmured into his ear: “I love you, Oniar.”
And it was true. I did.
18 Auxana
The next morning, I woke up with Olden in my bed. It had been quite a while since he'd spent the whole night with me. He'd seemed shaken the day before, and it wasn't hard to see why. Amar had decided to break the taboo forbidding Efeghis to teach their language to foreigners, whereas Olden himself had suffered for it all his life.
He'd come to seek comfort in my arms and I had obliged him with all the warmth I didn't feel for him.
The truth was, I despised him. I probably would have despised him even if he hadn't cheated on me and offered me to his boss. But his quiet contempt towards me, a reflection of the contempt he himself had received, had simply made my task easier.