A woman breezed by and set a chip on the table with a soft clink of metal. She never glanced back at him or acknowledged the tiny device had landed. Between sips of tenemet, Bennu palmed the tiny metal square and scanned it with his WristGear. Almost too fast for his eyes to capture, coordinates appeared.
All right. So that was how they were going to play it. He chugged the beer, left behind a tip, and made his way up the stairs. He stopped on the establishment’s upper level when the subtle blip took him to the proper door. He knocked.
They didn't make him wait, at least. A human opened the door, the man’s slender build matched by a narrow face and long, pointed nose. His distinct lack of armor and weaponry told Bennu everything. He was a meatshield, an expendable loss in the event their guest had come to the door ready to shoot. The man looked him over and backed away, allowing Bennu to step inside. The door shut and locked behind him, but he paid them no mind, his attention focused on the two Lexar sitting casually on a couch across the room.
“Welcome, Jin-Bennu,” one said, a large Lexar with the look of a seasoned warrior about him. Faint silver scars crisscrossed his bare arms and torso. “Forgive the hoops, but we had to be sure you weren’t bringing a squad of warriors from your ship. I’m sure you understand.”
“Understandable." Bennu placed one fist above his heart and bent forward in a subtle bow. “Perhaps in time, trust can be forged between us. We are all here at great personal risk, after all.” He took in the other Lexar, studying them as he felt the needles of psionic ability touching his mind and skimming the surface, a delicate but subtle procedure to test his wits. He refused them entry. “At the moment, Tal-Amun believes I have taken an extended leave to visit family. We all know what would happen if he discovered otherwise.”
“You think he won’t notice you are no longer on Aaru?”
Bennu curled his lip and channeled the great Jin-Aptut. “He is too busy with his human mate. He will notice nothing until their Senebti-Heset is at an end.”
The others made sounds of disgust, and the prickles in his mind eased away. They’d read exactly what he wanted them to. Disgust. Disdain. Disappointment.
“That the exarch would stoop so low is an affront to our culture. To all that makes us Lexar.”
“He humors her designs and ideas, allowing her input in our world. These pesticides designed by her team are little more than atomized fungus water.” He sneered. Playing the part of the haughty Lexar wasn't difficult for Bennu. He endured a childhood of it, his father's loathing for humanity all the example he needed.
“I’ve seen it in action. That they were able to take Anazil’s ship was mere coincidence. And my leadership.”
“This weapon—this pesticide—is untested in large-scale conflict. They use it with no regard to the planets that may suffer the consequences.”
“I agree,” Bennu said, though he knew for a fact that was wrong and had observed the testing of the fungus on hundreds of different samples taken from a range of planets. “They are so desperate to appease the human that we have forgotten a simple truth. We are the conquerors.”
“So we are.” The scarred Lexar studied him a moment longer then put his fist over his chest. “I am Bet-Ansrim. This is my Alpha, Jin-Tavosh.”
“Well met. Now that we are here to discuss these grave matters, what is to be done of it? This human has bewitched the crew of the Exemplar down to the youngest citizen. They are enthralled with her. I probed many minds and found none of like belief as ours prior to my departure. It would seem I am alone.”
“Not alone. We have many loyal to the cause,” Tavosh said, his voice low and gravelly.
“I’d like to meet them.”
“In time. First, we could use your help on a particular little problem we have.”
“Of course. Anything to help the cause.”
Ansrim slid a small navchip across the table. “You will go directly to these coordinates once we part ways. There, you will meet up with a small team who will brief you on the mission. Succeed, and you can consider yourself a welcome member of our cause.”
“And the mission?” Bennu inquired.
Their silence and hesitation to reveal the job was all the indication he required to know it would be no small task.
He palmed the navchip and met their gazes, unflinching. Again, that gentle probe, a tender touch against his surface thoughts, told him Jin-Tavosh wanted access to his mind. He gave only what he wanted them to see. Raw indignation. Anger. Disgust.
The other psychic leaned back in his seat, satisfied.
“As said, the team there will brief you. I imagine you can make some guesses once you plot in your destination.” Ansrim stood, Tavosh following suit. “Good luck, Jin-Bennu. We expect great things from you.”
They left the room first, leaving him holding the chip and wondering what the hell Amun had gotten him into. Whatever their task was, it wasn't good. They didn’t want to scare him off by telling him upfront.
Rather than leave immediately, he tapped his WristGear and scanned the chip. No bugs. No tracers. It was exactly what they said it was and wouldn’t cause harm to his ship.
He scanned it once more to be certain before he pulled open the universal star chart.
His heart stopped.
Asteroid Z-99 Prison Colony of Alpha Centauri, a floating rock where the biggest, baddest, and most murderous confirmed criminals across the universe resided. Their population ranged from human to Lexar.
Bennu had a sinking suspicion they didn’t expect him to walk up to the front door.
Veryn waited all of ten minutes before she left the bed and angrily stomped toward the shuttle door. Keep her locked up, would he? Fuck that. She had supplies. She had credits. She could manage a basic disguise with what she had on hand and make her own way to Imperial Space from this blasted rock.
Except the door wouldn’t open.
Making a sound that was part growl and part hiss, she started on the console, but nothing she tried worked. Red screens flashed in her face, denying her any access to his systems.
At least an hour passed before the system locking mechanism disengaged and Bennu stomped onto the vessel again. His heavy steps thundered over metal, and the door slid shut behind him. Veryn leapt up from the cot to confront him but stopped cold at the sight of his stormy features.
“What happened?”
Rather than answer, his gaze settled on the command console and his jaw tensed further. “You messed with the controls.”
“So what if I did?”
“I told you to wait.”
“And I told you that you don't command me.”
“Stubborn woman! Can you not see I am trying to protect you?” The words exploded from the gentle, often soft-spoken Lexar with enough bass that she stumbled back from him. Veryn startled, seeing a new side to the psychic.
“Bennu, please, what’s going on? Talk to me,” she said in a softer voice, thrown by his uncharacteristic behavior.
“You should not have come. Now I have placed you in great danger.”
“Just tell me what’s happening.”
He didn’t. He moved to the console and unlocked it with a full body scan, its beam sweeping over broad shoulders, illuminating him from head to toe with a pause at key locations. Retina, thumbprint—she’d have never unlocked it even with her best tools in possession.
Fuck.
Bennu didn’t speak again while navigating away from the planetary surface.
“I cannot speak of my mission to you. There are grave matters at play here, Princess Veryn.”
“Tell me.” Not only did she speak the words, but she also pressed them against his mind, letting slip her greatest secret.
Bennu’s whole body stiffened, and he spun around to face her. “You are a psychic.”
“I am. Why? Does that change anything? I’m still the same person I’ve been.”
“It explains things, like how you remained undetected on my ship."
; “We aren't all as helpless as your people believe us to be, Bennu. Maybe if you had thought to ask me, you would have known.”
It occurred to Veryn then how little they knew about one another.
That’s why I came. To get to know him. To learn about him away from the ship and the stress of his command. I wanted to see the real Bennu.
Now, it seemed she never would.
“Look, just drop me off—"
“I cannot. There is no time. You will re—”
“If you tell me one more time that I have to stay on this tiny ship, I am going to punch you, and you know I can.” She wanted to do more than punch him. “I think you owe me a little honesty.”
She waited, watching how his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He was thinking over his options, but like him, she knew he had few left.
“I am not seeing my family. I am on a mission for the exarch. A mission that will not allow me to bring you to safety for some time.”
“Why couldn’t you tell me that to begin with?” she wanted to shout, somehow keeping her voice even and neutral.
“How was I to know you are gifted?” he demanded in turn.
“Maybe the failed attempts to probe my mind should have been an indication.”
“Psh! That is a poor method of discovering the talent. Some humans develop a natural resistance to intrusion. That does not mean they are psionically gifted, Princess Veryn.”
Princess. Veryn.
She wanted to scream, but more important matters at hand forced her to step back and regard the key issue.
A mission.
“I’ve crashed your mission, and I shouldn't be here. What mission?” When he remained closemouthed, lips a tight line and concentration on his face, Veryn stepped closer and raised her hand to his bare bicep. “Bennu, please. You couldn’t access my mind. I’ve trained all of my life to cultivate a natural gift for creating walls. Even in my sleep.”
“I noticed.”
“Then please. Let me in. Tell me how I can help you.”
“You can stay inside the ship,” he repeated in a softer tone. “These Lexar I must deal with have no love for humans. They would see old ways returned. Alliances shattered.”
“You're talking about the rebellious faction."
“Yes.”
“Is that who you were meeting with out there?”
“Yes."
“Did you arrest them? Kill them?”
“No.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I joined them.”
“What? Why? How could you—?” Veryn’s heart stopped in her chest and cold fear took over. “Amun sent you to do this. He’s... he’s abandoning the empire for this?”
“What?” Bennu blinked at her and barked out a sharp, sudden laugh. He laughed so hard his shoulders shook. “No! Where would you get such an asinine idea?”
Her temper rose and her voice did the same, almost cracking as she shouted, “Asinine? What else should I think when you won’t tell me anything?”
"Then think carefully on this, Princess. If I were truly joining their cause, if Amun were, do you think I would at all be concerned with your safety?" He stepped in close, a hulking figure towering over her.
“What?”
“If I truly wanted to ensure the victory of these terrorists, as your kind would call them, don’t you think I would hand over the greatest leverage they’d ever get their hands on?”
Veryn sucked in a sharp breath. “Me.”
“Exactly.”
With that, he took all the wind from her sails. Veryn sucked air between her teeth and looked away. Her moment of panicked disbelief had clearly damaged something between them. His silver eyes were hard, lacking any warmth.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I assumed…. That was foolish of me. I wasn't thinking, Bennu.”
He grunted. "Your presence poses a great risk to us both. To these Lexar, humanity is an inferior species, lower than all others across the universe. They view your people are mere ants, not our younger brothers and sisters. Not valuable allies. They would sooner sell your kind as chattel in the shadow markets than see you thrive as part of the Nova Force.”
“So you’re what? Infiltrating their ranks? Going deep undercover? Would they even believe that of you?”
“They do. Somewhat.” He turned away from her and loaded the navchip. The ship hummed to life, and they lifted from the ground. Out here, there were no control towers. No docking authority. People came and went as they liked, and at their own risk if others were in their flight path.
“Where are we going?”
“Asteroid Z-99.”
“But that's a prison colony. Why are we—” Her eyes widened. “Who are they wanting to break out?"
“I do not know, but I will do all in my power to help them, because I must.”
“Bennu, you can’t. The people there are murderers. Not just random killers, but the bogeymen of our races. Coldblooded killers with no remorse. No sense of morality at all. They can’t be set loose on the galaxy.”
"What else am I to do? If I do not help them, my options are few."
"You could....” Fuck. A report to the proper authorities would immediately tip the rebels off. If he chose to do nothing, they would continue with their plans unhindered and likely escape with their comrades.
Either outcome meant Bennu would be locked out of their group.
“You see, don’t you?”
“I do.” Veryn’s shoulders dropped. “What will you do?”
“Everything within my power to guarantee I've earned their trust." Silence fell between them, lingered as heavy as an iron weight. “And all I can do to protect you. When we rendezvous, there is a possibility I will be forced to dock with their ship.”
“In which case, they’ll know I’m here. They’ll do a scan.”
“Yes."
“Then we need to make me unrecognizable to them.”
Bennu appeared bewildered. Silver eyes blinked slowly. “How can we do that? Your face is known across the galaxy.”
“We’re on a planet of criminals, Bennu, a place known for harboring people who need to change who they are,” Veryn said, opening a document in her WristGear. She quickly sketched out a list. “Bring these to me.”
He didn’t have a choice, and they both knew it. Without another word, Bennu relanded the ship and copied over her list. He didn’t warn her to stay inside this time, only left to get what she needed.
7
Bennu ignored the simmering indignance on Veryn's face. What mattered was that none of it leaked through in her mind.
By the time they reached their destination, she no longer resembled the princess seen on every vid and halo on the extranet. Even he hardly recognized her. The princess cut her hair short, to her chin, and lightened the color to a blonde so pale it was almost white. Then she streaked it through with his preferred shade of royal purple. But she hadn't stopped there. She worked her technological magic and transformed subtle things about her face prior to going a step further by exchanging her ID chip. It should have been impossible. Only high-level agents acquired access to such things.
Veryn had never been listed as such.
Of course she wouldn't be.
Of all the idiotic thoughts, that one neared the top of the list.
As they approached their destination, he watched her draw small amounts of liquid from small vials, squeeze them into a new receptacle, and then open a window on her WristGear that may as well have been written in a new language.
Bennu was no scientist. He understood guns. He understood force and matter. He had never worked in a laboratory, choosing to specialize in war over education and arts.
Veryn's lips pursed with concentration. He watched, too wise to dare interrupt what appeared to be delicate calculations. In the end, she synthesized a small amount of agent in a vial and pushed the tube into an injector gun.
His alarm raised immediately. "What are you doing?"
"Genetic therapy.
This will temporarily alter my DNA in the event blood or hair samples fall into the wrong hands. Until the next dose is required, I’ll never be more than a 27% genetic match with Princess Veryn."
"No."
Veryn cocked a brow. "No?"
"You cannot—"
"You don't get to tell me what to do with my body." She depressed the plunger faster than he could remove the device from her hand.
His people didn't believe in polluting their bodies the way humans did. Drugs, genes, cybernetics—all of it was anathema to Lexar. The idea of Veryn doing so because he hadn't been careful enough when leaving Aaru bothered him deeply.
"What did you use, Ver—"
She started to convulse, her own eyes widening in surprise. And with that, her walls came down, pain and fear washing from her in waves that struck his mental barriers like a hurricane.
"Fuck." All he could do was grab her and hold her still, waiting for the serum to burn through her.
Her spine arched and her muscles all contracted at once. She thrashed in his hold and screamed an agonizing sound he never wanted to hear again.
All because he hadn't performed a thorough sweep of his vessel.
All because he'd taken a mission and concealed the truth from her.
Bennu swept her into his arms and placed her on the cot where the mattress would cushion her joints. His heart thundered in his chest.
It felt like hours passed before the worst was over and those pretty blue eyes were on his face again. No. Not blue. Closer to green now. She shuddered, body trembling. "Just... just need time now."
"What did you use?" he asked again, gentler this time.
"C-cat and... and blood type ad-adjustment," she stammered, eyes closing again as she trembled through another painful wave. "Should be enough... throw scanners."
"You should not have done this."
"Had to."
"Why cat?"
"Make me a useful pet," she muttered.
"Pet?"
Another tremor went through her body. She didn’t answer.
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