by Voxley, Vi
"But they will kill us all—" she began to say, but the general shook his head, gently lifting her chin so she could look him in the eye and see that he was deadly serious.
"They will not," he said.
His gesha's eyes went wide at his words, trying to contemplate the impossible.
"Then, you will let them execute you?" she asked. "You heard Klaen! They've basically already ruled you guilty."
Of course. They've been plotting this since I locked them up.
He smiled.
"I meant what I said before," he told her. "Any man who comes at me with the intent of killing me is in for a very unpleasant surprise."
"So what will you do—"
Aria was about to say something further, but she didn't get the chance before another incoming message interrupted her. Seeing who it was, Ryden allowed it to be put through. Stavor's gleeful face appeared on the large screen, transmitted to the Conqueror by the ship holding them at aim.
"I warned you," Stavor said with obvious relish. "Justice would come for you, Ryden."
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Ryden
Aria left the bridge fuming, but determined.
The general watched her go, an amused smirk on his lips. He liked her spirit, the insulted pride that reminded him of his own species. When they first met, the little Terran would more than likely have been disgusted by the comparison, but she had more in common with Brions than she knew. Ryden figured he'd point that out to her, although perhaps under different circumstances.
So far, he'd convinced Aria that for her, the best course of action was to get down to Ilotra and take her rightful seat at last.
His gesha had been as delightfully set on doing exactly that as the general had figured. He remembered Aria's shock when hearing she could have been a rightful member a long time ago if her weak-minded superior hadn't messed that up for her.
A nudge in the right direction sent her nicely on a rampage. It suited Ryden, because he had his own plans in motion and he would rather have not implicated Aria in them. Her words haunted him, but there was little he could do about it.
Diego Grothan had all but kidnapped his gesha, but Ryden was not going to repeat that. He understood the other general, but what he had in mind was a bit more... subtle. There was no way he'd leave Aria behind, but he would have preferred her to make the decision to leave instead of him dragging her away from everything she'd ever known, only for her to resent him for it.
For that purpose, he sent the ambassador down to Ilotra first, before him. Then he let the council know that he would be joining them soon.
Their surprise was almost tangible. Ryden carefully hid his enjoyment of their evident disappointment. Naturally they would have preferred to blow him to pieces in space rather than face him. The general knew they had never thought he'd agree to their ludicrous request, but that was fine. Ambassador Klaen could have boasted knowledge of the Brion mindset, but it was clear they knew nothing.
Pride was a luxury, the Elders had always warned their generals. It was a part of the image they carried with them to the stars, as dangerous as their military might, or possibly even more. After all, being severely underestimated by the enemy was an advantage like no other. And Ryden was going to savor shoving that in the council's face immensely.
Everyone knew Brion generals were rash, proud, temperamental and above all, unrelenting. Everyone was wrong, but not in the way they would have thought. The generals were stubborn and unrelenting to the bone, but it wasn't their own pride that drove them on. It was their duty to all Brions.
The council had predicted that if they used the word demand in any form, Ryden would rage at them and they would be rid of him. He had no intention of giving them that satisfaction. The Clayor hive mind had already lost the war because it had tried to play a game. It honestly baffled Ryden that the council couldn't see that if he didn't allow the Host to do that to him, there was no way he'd play right into their hands.
They wanted him mad and far away from them. He would restrain his fury until he was very close to them and then let them see what it meant to provoke a Brion warrior.
After he had made the arrangements to go down to the moon and ordered Captain Hastien to continue fixing the Conqueror, Ryden opened the channel to the Gray Armada.
The Koliar warlord answered him immediately, possibly anticipating his call already. Ryden had a hard time believing the commander would actually expect him to beg, but the look on Stavor's face was making him doubt.
"So you're coming down like a good boy," the warlord said, confirming he was the opportunist Ryden had feared he was.
It was a pity. He'd almost respected the Koliar after their fights together. But he turned out to be like any other enemy, when suddenly finding their opponent in a less than perfect situation. They forgot, instantly. Forgot who they were dealing with, forgot everything they'd ever known about the other, and only saw the disadvantage they were in.
Ryden intended to remind Stavor of that.
"I see no reason why I shouldn't," he said calmly. "After all, I've ceded the power back to the council and the Union. The Brions are still a part of the Union, are we not?"
The Koliar bared his teeth in an ugly smile.
"You are, but there have been talks of reining you in," he said.
That was not unexpected either, but all the more disappointing. It was the price of too-successful victors. Instead of praise, there was suspicion and fear. Ryden knew that as well as anyone.
The Brions had struggled with that for years. Every time they did the Union's bidding, effectively protecting them, the less powerful species became fearful that one day they might be the target. A part of him understood—to see the Brions in action was terrifying to anyone—but Ryden had expected more from Stavor.
"This wouldn't be the first time the Union tried to do that," Ryden said dismissively, holding Stavor's ferocious gaze. "After the Rhea dispute, you already tried. And then the Union discovered they needed us too much."
Stavor's face twitched. The warlord knew he was telling the truth, that much was plain to see. As predictable as the Union's fear was, it was always followed by a time when the Brions were called upon again. It amused Ryden how much the Union needed their strength—enough to swallow its own fear of them.
"Be that as it may, you will still face trial," Stavor said with relish. "And when it ends, I will be there waiting for you."
"Yes," Ryden said, his voice dropping low and dangerous.
It was usual for politicians to cower from that tone, but even Stavor turned serious.
"I've been wondering why you are looking forward to that so much."'
The answer was plain on the Koliar's face. Ryden knew that the Brions were perhaps hated the most by Stavor and his kind, because they were too similar. Only the Brions were better. Every opportunity for glory, every task important enough, it was all entrusted to them instead of the Koliars. They never forgave that and Stavor's desire to take revenge upon them was obvious.
"You were out of control," the warlord said, but his words lacked conviction.
"Was I?" Ryden asked, taking a step forward on the holoplatform, seeing Stavor wince despite the distance between them. "I don't believe you. In fact, I know you don't believe that. If it were you in my place, this would be roughly the same. Maybe worse. You defended my actions back then before the council, because you actually know better. This is how wars are fought and won, and you wouldn't have done anything differently."
Stavor said nothing, only looked at him with loathing. For a second, Ryden wondered if the Koliar hated him enough to fire upon the Conqueror without the council's orders. It was possible. His flagship's shields were down, and they were easy prey, but Stavor was a warrior too.
All the things the Koliar hated him for were rooted in painful similarities. Similar codes of thinking, of honor. The victory Stavor so clearly lusted for—it would have counted for nothing if he took the coward's way. Not to me
ntion the repercussions he would have had to endure later, both from the Union and the Brions.
"I obey the council," was all that Stavor finally said, a weak excuse on any day from a man like him, who prided himself on being no one's servant.
"So did I," Ryden said. "They called me here to protect them, and that is what I did. A part of it was done to protect them from themselves, but you already know all this."
"Then there is nothing else to say," Stavor said grimly. "I will see you down on the surface."
Ryden nodded.
"Yes," he said. "I only wanted to ask you one thing."
"Ask," Stavor growled roughly.
Ryden allowed himself a vicious smile. The council and his former allies wanted him down on Ilotra? Very well. They could have him. It was going to be a sight to see when they all realized their mistake.
"I killed the hive mind," the general said. "How difficult do you think it would be to kill you?"
Before Stavor could reply, he shut off the signal.
It was a risky ploy he'd pulled, but the look on the Koliar warlord's face was well worth it. The mixture of hate and fear was terribly gratifying to see. Of course it would have been better if he didn't hold Ryden's life in his hands, but seconds ticked past without a shot from the Gray Armada.
Ryden left Captain Hastien in charge and took his personal fighter down to Ilotra, preparing to face the consequences of winning a war.
It was time to meet his jurors.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Aria
She almost ripped her gown in frustration.
Aria was standing in front of a full-length mirror, donning her brand new ambassadorial robes. Only this time, they were marked with the symbols of a rightful member, not an apprentice or whatever Sota had been calling her.
Her quarters were new, because the part of Ilotra where the Terran ambassadors had previously lived had suffered damage from the bombardment and were under repairs. Aria had gone to see them, only to turn back as soon as she saw there wasn't much left. She'd been hoping that maybe she could salvage a few of her possessions from the wreckage, but there was nothing to be saved. Everything she owned was gone.
The new quarters were fine, but of course they didn't feel like home the way her previous rooms had. Aria walked through the new quarters, and they were just four walls and a ceiling. The stuff seemed strange, the emptiness overwhelming, and her bathroom was a far cry from the refuge she'd loved.
Even the clothes neatly laid out for her on the bed seemed to be mocking her with the colors she'd been fighting for all this time.
"You can have them now," they seemed to say, "sorry about before."
For a moment Aria had actually considered not wearing the robe, but decided she wouldn't let the council take away what had been her dream for so long, even if it wasn't her goal anymore. Being a full-fledged member of the Union's council had lost its appeal fast when she was forced to come face to face with how it really worked.
There was a knock on her door.
Aria quickly checked if she was decent, the gown still awkwardly around her hips. The damn thing was impossible to properly put on alone, but she hadn't really wanted to see anyone. It was also weird. She'd never been overly modest, and wasn't the type of girl to die of shame when a guy saw her in a bra. She realized it was about Ryden and their bond. No one else was to see her naked anymore. She belonged to him.
"A moment," she called, pulling the gown up.
She left it open at the back, but she could deal with that later.
"Come in."
The mirror showed the door sliding open behind her, revealing Sota standing there in his ceremonial robes. It was so very tempting to send him away, never to speak to him again, but in truth, she pitied him. After a long moment of silence had passed, Sota took it as an invite and stepped into her rooms. The door slid shut, leaving them alone.
Aria resumed dressing up for the gathering of the council. Now that she was a true member, she had a voice and a vote like everyone else, and she planned to use both. Loudly. She would give those scheming, ungrateful bastards a piece of her mind.
"Aria," Sota began. "I'm so sorry..."
"Was it you?" Aria asked, looking at him in the reflection.
The other ambassador seemed confused.
"What?" he asked, clearly caught off guard.
"Was it you who delayed my induction into the council, or was it the hive mind?"
She saw Sota squirm at the mention of the enemy. Pity rose within her again, but she forced it down. At least that much she wanted to know. She couldn't imagine what it felt like for Sota to walk around Ilotra, with everyone knowing what he'd done. But that didn't excuse his own sins, if there were any.
There was also the painful fact that the council had done nothing to him, but insisted putting the man who'd saved them all on trial.
"And don't lie to me," Aria added, with more venom in her voice than she'd intended.
She finally turned, looking the man in the eye. Sota nodded slowly, taking a seat on her couch and sighing.
"Both, I think."
Aria almost slapped him, but kept herself back. There was no use in her causing more drama and problems than there already were.
"Why?" she demanded.
"For my part, I wanted to protect you," Sota said, looking at her with pleading eyes. "You were so bright and optimistic, I didn't want to... you see what they're like. I didn't want them to kill your spirit."
She took a moment to consider whether he was telling the truth. Aria would have been glad to have the sharp senses of the Brion warriors right about then, who were probably able to tell when someone was lying to them by listening to their pulse.
"I would have handled them," Aria said.
Sota looked up at her and shrugged. "Possibly. Probably. I can't take it back. I see now you're stronger than I ever thought. The hive mind recognized that."
He hesitated, a disgusted look on his face. Aria could understand that much at least. She'd absolutely hated when the enemy had played with her mind, but at least she didn't harm Ilotra. Sota had almost helped destroy it.
"It urged that idea along, I believe," he went on. "I can't know for sure. My memories are foggy and blurred. I honestly don't even know all the things I might have done to aid the Clayors. I can't remember, but I never intended to keep you from the council out of malice, I swear."
"How about all that stuff about Ryden?" Aria went on. "You telling me my judgment was clouded, warning me not to have anything to do with him. Implying I only agreed with him because I was attracted to him?"
Sota tried to smile for her, maybe attempting to alleviate the tension.
"Well, that turned out to be true, didn't it?" he asked, but stopped when he saw the look on Aria's face.
"Don't get funny with me," Aria snapped. "Not now. Not about that."
Sota pulled back, taking a deep breath.
"Both again," he said. "I thought it was a mistake for you to get involved with him, but it was definitely the hive mind too, trying to keep you away from the warriors."
That was fine. It really didn't matter at that point anymore, but Aria had wanted to know. She glanced at Sota, a man she'd looked up to at some point. The Clayor hive mind hadn't been able to control her when even great warriors fell to its power.
Was there something special about her, some reserve of inner strength she didn't know about? Or was she merely lucky to be strong enough to resist? She couldn't hate Sota, not when she tried to imagine what it felt like to keep living with that kind of a guilt.
"Did the council make any decisions about you?" she asked to make sure.
Sota chuckled mirthlessly. "I won't be handling anything important for a long while now, that's for sure. And they notified Terra, in case they want to recall me, but I don't know if they will. You know what our government is like."
Aria knew. It valued experience and influence over everything. Sota had been an ambassador for a
long time. His connections and knowledge were irreplaceable, even in the face of a screw-up like that.
"I know you don't want to hear this, Aria," Sota began.
"When you say it like that, I probably really don't."
Sota gave her a hard look.
"But I think you need to hear it. I'm trying to look after you."
Aria laughed, bitter and humorless. "Yes, you keep saying that. Considering how it worked out the last time, maybe you should stop."
The other ambassador rose from the couch, looking at her seriously.
"The council wants Ryden dead, you know that," he said.
Aria had, but something about those words being uttered out loud knocked the thought home at last. She pressed her lips into a thin line.
"I won't let that happen. He won't let that happen."
"Without the Conqueror, he's horribly outmatched."
Aria felt herself smiling. "You don't know him."
Sota took a step closer, but Aria held her ground, a warning flashing in her eyes.
"I know you are his gesha now and this must be difficult for you, but I'm telling you the truth. I don't see how it could end any other way. The Koliars are going after him."
"He saved Ilotra."
"Yes."
"And all of us. He even spoke in your defense."
"He did. I'm not saying I personally support it. I'm telling you how things are."
Aria turned back to her mirror and resumed her dressing, picking through the gems she'd been given to put up in her hair.
"Please listen to me," Sota said again. "I know it's almost impossible for a gesha to disagree with her gerion, but you—"
"It's not about that," Aria said coldly. "It was never about that. I never agreed with him because of the bond. He is right, and that is all that matters to me. But you can't see that and I have nothing else to say to you, other than telling you to stop trying to protect me. Goodbye, Sota."
Her mirror showed the other ambassador hesitating, as if there was more he wanted to say, but in the end he gave her one last look and left.
Aria finished the final touch-ups and called for an attendant to help with the gown. Then she was ready for her first council session, one to decide the fate of her gerion.