Chapter 36
As I walked out of Perez's estate, I didn't get far before Madam Chiksai stepped out in front of our group.
Lily jumped forward, grabbed Madam Chiksai by the throat, and throttled her against a shuttle that I assumed was how she had arrived.
Her hands flew up to guard her throat, but we all knew that would do nothing against Lily.
"I suppose it was too much to expect a pleasant greeting," she said through gritted teeth, as she tried to get some relief from Lily's grip.
"Put her down," Violet demanded.
Lily turned to me to make a decision. "She betrayed you and endangered the captain's life," Lily snapped.
"She has a point, though perhaps let her speak so we can make a decision," I said, lifting an eyebrow at Lily.
"Fine," my security officer said, dropping the woman unceremoniously to her knees. "Speak now, so you may pass on your message before you die."
The madam coughed, rubbing at her throat. "I'm sorry." She bowed her head toward Violet, who, if the teeth grinding was any indication, wasn't feeling particularly happy with those words.
"You're sorry?" Violet scoffed. "My master is dead."
"I know. But I didn't draw the blade; I had no part in what happened.
Only after the tides changed was I offered a decision.
I could either work for a new set of masters or die.
That's not exactly much of a choice." Chiksai chuckled with dead eyes.
"And even then, they didn't let me live without etching a reminder into me.
" She pulled back her sleeves to reveal large burns covering both arms.
"You said 'new master,'" I picked up on her words. "Was Akari that harsh?"
The madam glanced at Violet warily.
"It's fine," I said and shot Violet a look telling her to step away if she could not control her reactions. I wanted the truth.
"My master swore to peace. She wasn't the kind to violently establish herself.” Violet crossed her arms.
“While she was the lesser of several evils, I wouldn't say your master was a pacifist. There was always an implied danger to disobeying her," the madam stated.
Violet's tail stood on end. "My master would never—"
"If she would never, then she let people think otherwise." Madam Chiksai licked her lips. "I think your view of her pacifism is, at least marginally, biased."
I could tell Violet wanted to fight what was being said, but one glance at me and her mouth snapped closed. Instead, she stood still, fuming.
"I understand, madam." I nodded to Chiksai. "Someone with as much influence as Akari can be very intimidating. And to be frank, I only think she was able to make a bid for peace on the back of her legacy as a very dangerous individual."
The madam nodded. "There is no one-size-fits-all for governance. There are, of course, moments where she had to apply pressure to achieve what she thought was best, even if you didn't agree."
"She did good for the people," Violet argued.
The madam laid her head down on the ground in supplication. "I have no desire to even attempt to disparage the woman. Frankly, I'm in no position to be the one to criticize her."
Violet's jaw flexed several times; she didn't know what to do with such heavy supplication. It was hard to be mad at someone kneeling before you, completely helpless to your whims.
"Fine," Violet spat. "You should live to solve the problems you've created."
"Of course," the madam said, nodding and knocking her head against the ground, which strangely only seemed to make Violet more upset.
"We're going," Violet said suddenly. "I don't want to be here any longer."
Violet paused, glancing down and pulling a tablet out of her dress, frowning and tapping on it for a moment. "Madam, is this your shuttle?" Violet asked.
"Yes. Do you need to go somewhere?" the woman asked.
Violet's jaw clenched, and she nodded. "Yes. Perez has one of our friends at a mugball game."
"Of course." The madam remained supplicated on the floor. "I can bring you there, no problem. In fact, if you need anything, you're welcome to come to me."
"How people should treat us." Lily was now grinning ear to ear.
"Then we are no better than them." Violet scowled.
"But we are," Lily was quick to disagree. "And only by acknowledging it can you get the level of power that your master achieved. Like the captain said…"
"Lily." I shook my head to stop her. "We can discuss this later."
The helivore crossed her arms. "If you don't want me to say it, then you should say it, Captain."
"Should say what?" Violet asked.
"That it's only thanks to your master's show of force, her history of being brutal, that she was able to even push for peace.
Peace is not something you get by being weak.
Peace is achieved through deterrence, with a show of strength," I answered before Lily could say it with some strange helivore spin.
Violet clearly didn't want to hear that fact, but it needed to be said.
"It doesn't matter; we need to go. Brick and Tiri need us." Violet ignored me and jumped into the shuttle.
Madam Chiksai glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and Lily smirked. "You should bow to the captain, not Violet."
"Lily," I softly scolded her before she could create more misunderstandings. However, the helivore only huffed, crossing her arms.
Madam Chiksai paused. "May I get to my feet?
I would hate to be the cause of Violet's delay.
" I could tell there was significant curiosity in her eyes, but it didn't seem that she was going to voice it, at least not here.
She was more interested in showing Violet's subservience, most likely trying to preserve her life.
Not that I could blame anyone for self-preservation; it was baked into all sentient species, after all.
"Let's go." I gestured with my chin, and Madam Chiksai was on her feet a second later, reminding me that so many of these kikai were incredibly agile, even the ones who seemed more like they belonged in an office than in a fight.
***
The second we landed at the stadium, Violet shot off like a rocket, whether to escape what we had talked about earlier or an interest in getting to Tiri faster, it didn't matter, because the reality was she was here for a second and gone the next.
I walked out more casually with Lily right behind me. I paused. "You'll stay until we're back, of course, right, madam?"
Chiksai bowed to me. "Do you think there will be a chance for me to stay with all of you until Violet handles the divines?"
I paused, wondering what she wanted, and she must have understood, because she bowed her head deeply.
"They would see my present situation as having defected.
I suppose that isn't incorrect, but since I haven't picked their side, they're most likely to kill me on sight.
" She kept her head low. "If you would allow me to shuttle you back and stay with you, I would deeply appreciate the protection.
" The woman kept her head low, and damn, was it hard to be mad at someone when their head was lowered and their gaze focused on the floor.
"Fine, you can find a bed back on the ship after you return us," I grumbled.
"Thank you for your kindness," she said again, and I was getting uncomfortable at this point with all of the supplication, so I simply waved a hand. "Do try and be less trouble from here on out."
"Of course, I will endeavor to do so," the madam said, and I walked away, Lily falling into step behind me.
"You pity the woman," Lily stated.
"It's hard to be angry at someone bowing to you like that, and she knows it." I shrugged.
"Then she is manipulating you to avoid punishment?" Lily asked.
"No, more that she's chosen a side in this upcoming duel. Basically, she's submitting herself to Violet in hopes that Violet wins and treats her more kindly than the other divines have up till now," I answered.
"She should use her own power to shape her future," Lily argued, and I chuckled.
"I don't know if she has the power to do that.
" I stared up at the stadium as we walked. In a strange way, I understood her better than Violet or Lily could at the moment. Unlike those two, who could handle so much themselves, I knew what it was like to be helpless before a more powerful entity. In my past life, I had worked for a billionaire, and there had been more than one time I’d been threatened.
While it might have come off as casual from their mouth, to me it was potentially a death sentence. They held my livelihood in their hands.
Those with too much power could create disastrous wakes without enough care in their actions and control over themselves.
Lily gestured at me. "You are perhaps the least powerful here, and yet that hasn't stopped you. Any lack in power she may claim is a poor excuse," Lily said, and I squinted for a moment.
"Thank you, I think." Maybe I wasn’t as helpless as I might imagine. After all, a word from me, and Lily would destroy a planet. A responsibility settled on my shoulders, and I straightened my spine as I walked.
"You are very welcome, Captain, but do not misunderstand.
None of my praise towards you was exaggerated.
You are weak, yet you're able to overcome the strong.
It is one of your many alluring traits." Lily beamed. “You are strangely alluring, like something that shouldn’t exist but does. Thus, people will want to be around you just to see what wakes you produce.”
I blinked at her words, but before I could say anything else, a man stopped us. At least, he made an attempt to stop us.
"Hold up, this is the VIP section," a security guard said and made the very unfortunate mistake of putting his hands on my chest. Lily smoothly slid around me, grabbing the man by the lapel, lifting him so that his gaze could do nothing but stare into Lily's black sclera.
"For touching my captain, I should tear your throat out," she growled, apparently having a little pent-up anger still in her that she hadn't been able to take out on the madam.