by Kahaula
“While it pleases me to see my Spy Master so happy,” I gave her an appreciative smile, “Is it enough?” Her smile dropped.
“No,” she huffed, “We can’t blackmail Rentok High Command unless our backs are up against the wall and even then history shows that they’re more likely to bombard us from space just to make sure you’re dead.”
“What’s the plan?”
“We wait,” her face screwed up in irritation and frustration, “I meant it when I said we’re going to be down to the fucking wire, Welo. We need those ambassadors to get their stuffy asses in this throne room. Give the girls time to work their magic. Harvest any and all secrets we can before we make our final play.”
“Then I suggest we go old school and rock out with our cocks out,” I could be just as devious as Mel. I did run The Pit, after all. “We’ll schedule a motherfuckin’ welcome ball for the ambassadors and pack this place full of booze, bitches, and drugs.”
“You gonna rockstar them?” Mel laughed.
“Oh, yeah, like Louie the XIV on coke with a dash of Bowie’s Goblin King” I sneered, “Let them come into my house and I’ll show them why we should be fawned over and feared.”
“Fuck yeah, I love me some Labyrinth!” Mel shot her fist in the air and we descended into fits of laughter. Opulence like they had never seen before is how we would drown their suspicions and dull their senses. I had less than one standard day before those ambassadors would be let through planetary security. Planning this impromptu ball would take serious focus.
“Merooth,” I called out. His handsome face and iridescent blue eyes showed up on both window screens.
“My beautiful mate,” his lips never moved but his voice came through perfectly.
“I see you’ve been practicing.” He ran his hands along his jewelled necklaces as he leaned back on the beam he was laying on, smugly posing with his arm tucked under his head. I bit my lip just thinking about how good he looked lazily stretched out.
“Anything for you, my deadly mate,” he blinked slowly down into the throngs of people below.
“We need you to spread the word among the representatives and proxies that the Battle Queen is throwing a special celebration to welcome the central world ambassadors,” Mel’s smug wink showed how much she knew Merooth was going to enjoy himself with his task.
“I also want you to coordinate with our best workers from the chambers at The Pit,” I was already thinking about what else I could delegate to Merooth, “have the best Pit workers wear their masks but have each of them pair up with one of Mel’s and Hs’tar’s Faces.”
“Yes,” Mel nodded in approval, “After you’ve spread the word, grab Hs’tar and come to my office so we can coordinate the teams.” Merooth was already laughing and talking loudly with people down in the space port. Our own people would know to be alert in case they would be called upon and any extra ears not our own would be spreading the news like wildfire.
The representatives and proxies would be tripping over themselves to get even a whiff of a central world ambassador’s farts. To be in the same room and rub elbows with an ambassador was a rare opportunity not to be wasted. The added bonus of it being a party would please them even more.
Merooth always made sure to give out ‘special invites’ to The Pit for visiting representatives, proxies, and merchants. His ability to portray himself as an empty headed sex god who loved nothing more than to party was unsurpassed. The secrets he had garnered and relationships he had built were key factors in how quickly we had grown.
“Be safe, my love,” I whispered into his mind. He caressed the ear piercings I had given him sending me his own message of love back before the visual cut out. Both windows unfrosted and returned to their plain facade. Far and beyond in the Rainbow City the pieces of our plans were falling into place like dominos on a giant board. I turned to Mel.
“Get me Ally.”
Hs’tar
Sometimes I think Welo is trying to kill me. It’s like she takes not being able to give me grey hair as a personal affront to her ability to stress me right the fuck out. Her response to being told L’Ryx was sent to kill her was to throw a party. A party.
Mel, Merooth, and I had discussed how our people were going to work it to our benefit. I could even fully acknowledge that it was a brilliant and truly devious plan. That didn’t change that I wanted to murder L’Ryx at the first opportunity I got.
Merooth told me all the reasons I couldn’t do that and he knew I wouldn’t—unless L’Ryx tried to take a real shot at Welo. That happens and he won’t make it off this planet alive, regardless of whether he’s successful or not. I focused in on the outlier representative in front of me.
“...If that’s what you would like?” He asked me nervously. I stared him down and watched as his jowls flopped one over the other as he swallowed in fear. I honestly couldn’t remember what we were talking about. I looked down at my holoscreen and saw crop reports and shipment timelines. He was a fruit merchant.
“Yes, that will be fine,” he visibly relaxed and blinked his secondary eyelids rapidly. “However,” I paused just to watch him tense up all over again. Is it wrong to make him scared for no reason? I don’t care. “We would also like to purchase seed packets as well.”
“But—“
“We only wish to have a small crop on planet for emergency orders and unforeseen requests,” I gave him a fanged smile, “You know how particular visiting dignitaries can be. The Battle Queen doesn’t wish to cut you out, your world is dedicated to agriculture and can produce far greater yields than we ever could or would want to.” There, I’ve reassured him that he still has an honourable trade partner in the Battle Queen.
“Th-Thank you, Commander Hs’tar!”
“Welo happens to love the unique blend of fruits that you make available to us,” I don’t even know if that’s true, and the facilities could easily out grow his entire planet’s agricultural yields but it’s best to foster favourable relationships everywhere we can.
“That’s so wonderful to hear,” the representative puffed up with pride. Something softened inside me for only a moment. He was wearing plain brown pants with a clean but equally plain white shirt. His boots were scuffed but free of any dirt. He as an honest man. I could almost feel Welo’s hand on my neck as her words whispered in my ear, an honest man is worth more than his weight in gold, treat him as such and he will reward you with his loyalty. Did she not do the same for me and I for her?
“In fact,” I tapped out a few key codes onto my holoscreen and a side panel popped out from my office wall. “I was hoping to surprise her with this.” I handed the representative a clear vial of large round seeds.
“What is it, my Lord?” I stared at him, taken aback by his honorific term for me. Gratefully, he was staring at the seeds in wonder and didn’t see the shocked look on my face.
“These 4 seeds are from the Battle Queen’s homeland, they are her favourite fruit,” the man gasped and looked up at me with awe. I let him see that I was placing my trust in him. I gave him seeds not just from Earth, but seeds that could spawn a whole new industry for his poor planet’s inhabitants. I had already chosen him and his small planet as the recipient before the meeting was set. Setting up a system of rewards for consistency was another way we built loyalty out here in the wilds of space. “In the Battle Queen’s language this fruit is called Ohia Lehua, the edible flower. I have been told they require a loving touch when not growing in the warm wet mountains of Hawaii and that the fruit itself captures the cleanest sweetest water which the tree absorbs from all around it.”
The man’s eyes soaked up my words as readily as parched roots. He gripped the vial of seeds as tightly as if he were holding the future of his people. In more than one way he was. I could see the understanding of what I’d given him dawning in his dark green eyes.
“We will be glad to supply the Battle Queen from every future harvest. This is...,” I saw the embarrassment flicker across his face b
efore he could shift his eyes away.
“This is a gift,” I leaned down and squeezed his shoulder briefly before I turned to sit back down at my desk. “All I ask is that when you have your first yield I may have first bid. That way I can earn my own gift,” I joked and the man laughed heartily. He was no longer embarrassed, and as a mated male himself, he knew the plight of regularly winning the affections of your mate. I closed the meeting and walked him to my door.
When my door slid open I came face to face with the one person I wanted to stab the most. “Thank you again, my Lord, for your time,” the outlier representative did a small bow and stepped past L’Ryx, oblivious to the tension now crackling through the air. His eyebrow raised slightly at hearing the outlier representative’s words but made no comment.
“Did you have an appointment?” My smile is all sharp edges.
“No,” he slipped past me and into my office, “but I’m sure you can fit me in.”
“Then you would be wrong, General L’Ryx,” I circled behind him slowly then sat comfortably in my chair. “Feel free to make an appointment, however.” I motioned towards the door with a very clear, fuck off motion.
“Is this you being mad because I fucked your mate? Because I wasn’t aware that Syleans cared much about such things,” he shrugged casually and sat back in his chair.
“Is this you being crass because she won’t return your calls?” I gave him a smug grin. We had all agreed, Welo included, that L’Ryx needed to be kept at a distance until we could make our final moves. A muscle in his jaw ticked slightly and I knew it was paining him to be ignored. Knowing that made this interaction so much sweeter. “I’ll take your silence as confirmation.”
“We still have my contract that needs to be filled,” I rolled my eyes at his feeble attempt to worm his way into Welo’s presence.
“As we stated in your meeting, you nullified that contract when you refused our list of available breeders,” I barrelled right over him when his mouth opened to protest, “even if you hadn’t, it was nullified the moment you chose to challenge the Battle Queen. Your night of ‘negotiation’ was a courtesy.”
“You conduct trade here, do you not, Commander Hs’tar,” he sneered, “As a High Command general I am authorised to negotiate trade on behalf of the Rentok.”
“And what do the great Rentok have that we could possibly want here?” I scoffed and leaned forward, “you central world governments produce nothing, you only take.” His eyes narrowed at my venom but I wasn’t about to let him off so easily, “Be grateful the Battle Queen humoured you at all. Unlike your government, she cares only for the well being of her people. Everything she has done—and every moment of her day, is spent lifting us all up out of the shit your high and mighty worlds throw on the rest of us for their own pleasure.”
“You done?”
“Never,” I stood up quickly. My fists balled up at my sides, my claws digging into my palms. “You bring nothing but death and danger to Welo. You aren’t worthy of a second of her time. Now get the fuck out of my office, I have a schedule to keep.” I was burning a huge bridge here but I couldn’t bring myself to care. L’Ryx was a threat to the woman I loved, the same woman who had taught me what love even was.
“I never wanted to hurt Welo,” he seethed. His own fists curled up as he heaved in and out. He stood pressed against the front of my desk, like it was the only thing holding him back.
“You know what the difference between you and I is?” I laughed hollowly, “I hurt her because I didn’t have a choice. You just tell yourself you don’t have a choice.”
“It’s not that simple, Hs’tar,” he bit out.
“Yes, L’Ryx, it really is.” I let him take a deep look into my soul. I let him see all the regrets I would take to my grave knowing that choosing Welo was never one of them. Whatever he saw in my eyes seemed to breed a flash of doubt in his own. I motioned towards the door once more just as it pinged to say my next appointment had arrived, “Leave.” He made no other comment or quip, just turned on his heel and left.
L’Ryx
“I hurt her because I didn’t have a choice. You just tell yourself you don’t have a choice.” Hs’tar’s venom filled words ran like poison in my veins. My mind felt so much clearer after my night with Welo. The desire, the lust, the yearning for her was still there but instead of being a blaze that consumed me whole it had converted to magma. Thoughts of her warmed me to my core.
I prowled through the busy crowds of the Pleasure Palace and pushed my way past those who didn’t move fast enough. I was angry at myself. I was angry at my situation. My feelings, however, didn’t matter. Nothing was going to change my orders.
After the High Council issued their orders I returned to Ula Nui with a second accompaniment of my soldiers led by R’Tok. He swept through each of our rooms and confirmed they were clean of any surveillance. He then ran automated sweeps every few minutes to be sure our rooms remained that way.
Walking into our adjoining rooms I took in the makeshift command centre. Men at portable consoles connected to our warship relayed information back and forth. This world wasn’t officially part of the Galactic Core of Worlds. We didn’t have to obey any laws of privacy or worry about being charged for espionage by a local government. We could do whatever we wanted.
My lips thinned in disgust. Hs’tar was right. Welo had done nothing wrong except exist. And what did she do with that existence? She freed a slave world from a monster. She then protected and built a working civilisation out in the muck. Welo took in the unwanted and abused and gave them a purpose.
She didn’t even ask for blind loyalty or fealty. She asked that they be the best of themselves. Her people loved her. Only her enemies feared her. Everything in this room made me feel worse than before I had entered. I scowled and watched my men purposely not make eye contact with me.
I stomped into the next room and out onto the balcony. I couldn’t breathe in there surrounded by all the ways I was trying to betray the woman I... No, I couldn’t even think where that thought was going. I thumped my fists on the stone railing and bowed my head.
“Were you able to make contact with Commander Hs’tar?” R’Tok stood in the doorway behind me, his normally jovial voice, flat. I laughed bitterly.
“Long enough for him to tell me I was a piece of shit and to get the fuck out of his office,” I flung.
“Do you think he knows your... mission?” He asked carefully.
“It doesn’t matter, I look desperate to meet the Battle Queen, and I am because we’re pressed for time,” I shook my head again and turned to R’Tok, “The ambassadors will be here by tomorrow, and that night is their welcome ball at the Blood Palace.”
“So you have to try before that but they’re not letting you anywhere near her?”
“Would you?” I asked angrily. I knew it wasn’t right to take out my self loathing on R’Tok but he was the only target I had.
“No,” he said softly.
“Did we receive an invite to the ambassador’s welcome ball?”
“No, sir.”
I breathed in deeply trying to reach for that calm I had felt after waking up in Welo’s arms. All I could feel was a bubbling up of grief, loss, and despair. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed through the pain of it all. Whatever was happening to me wasn’t done destroying centuries worth of discipline. Only one thought kept repeating through my head.
I’m going to lose her.
“Sir?”
“What?” I snapped. One of my communications officers stood next to R’Tok and warily looked between the two of us.
“General K’Tos is asking for you.”
“Put him on the main holoscreen,” I walked back through the rooms to our command centre set up in my original room. A wide holoscreen hung suspended on a large wall and was currently filled by the scarred face of General K’Tos.
“You look like shit, my brother,” he smiled and his scars pulled half his face into a gruesome mask.
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“Fuck you too,” K’Tos laughed at my short temper. From my periphery I could see how uncomfortable my soldiers looked. They had never heard me speak so roughly nor so informally before. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Oh ho! So it’s really true then,” he laughed harder, his eyes sparkling with mirth.
“What’s true?”
“That your cocks are all tied around the Battle Queen’s fist,” he taunted, “She must really be something to have you all worked up like this! Maybe I should head there and see if I can’t beg for time in her bed as well!”
“Watch your damn mouth!” I snarled and smacked a chair out of my path to get closer to the screen. He howled with laughter as my men stepped back in shock. What’s come over me? My muscles trembled with rage and the desperate need to strangle K’Tos. K’Tos who was one of my oldest friends. Icy fear dripped down my spine. First the lust, now this rage.
“You don’t understand what’s happening, do you,” K’Tos wasn’t laughing anymore. He leaned forward at his desk. His face was full of so many emotions but the biggest was empathy. “I bet you didn’t even understand the hint I gave you during our meeting,” he rubbed his scars absently, “then again, I didn’t really believe it myself until now.”
“What’re you talking about?” There was no heat behind my words only an exhausted confusion.
“Do you remember your grandparents?”
“What? No, they died soon after The Shift,” his question was not what I was expecting at all.
“Sometimes...,” he trailed off and got a distant look in his eyes, “sometimes, I can remember bits and pieces of my grandparents. Stories. Images. Things like that.”
“I know you’re older than me K’Tos but you’re not that old,” I scoffed. He chucked.
“I couldn’t have been more than 8 maybe 10 years old when they died,” he said wistfully, “I don’t remember much, but I always remembered one story they told me again and again.”
“Knowing you and your family it was one about glorious battle,” I smiled.