CHAPTER SEVENTEEN #2
Eventually, he lifted his head. “I have a theory on that. And it is only a theory. But it would also fit with not only everything we know about the Eumadians, but everything we currently know about Jai. Consider this: Not all that long ago, the Eumadians were entirely willing to fry Kade’s brain by trying to force him to bond to a different master.
They knew it wouldn’t work, but ultimately, someone paid them a big pile of money to try.
So maybe this is the same thing. They knew they couldn’t train one dimari in two skills.
They knew Jai shouldn’t be an erotic companion.
But if someone paid them enough money, they would have done it anyway. How much was he sold for, by the way?”
“One hundred and eighty thousand credits,” I replied, horror settling in my gut as the truth hit home.
The average dimari was sold for forty thousand credits.
Jai was apparently worth more than four times that amount.
“You’re right. They just decided to royally screw him over in exchange for a big payout. ”
“So perhaps the better strategy would be to forget all about him being an erotic companion and just focus on his combat skills. I’m assuming, of course, that that was a skill he was actually suited for.
Getting him to trust you will also take a bit of work, but at least we’re heading in the right direction.
The other thing,” he added, leaning forward and regarding me more intently, “that I think it’s very important you figure out, is what he knew about his master before he was shipped out.
Because my guess is that he’s making a number of assumptions about you that would be steadfastly untrue, given that you’re not his intended master. ”
I shook my head at that one. “The dimari aren’t told anything about their masters before they’re shipped. Not even what species their master is, or what planet they’re going to.”
“Not true,” Bryce contradicted me. “They’re not told anything specific, no, but they’d still be able to make a number of inferences or assumptions.
Kade was trained as a combat specialist. So it would be an entirely reasonable assumption, either from him or from any other combat specialist, that his master would likely be in the military.
It’s not an absolute certainty, but it’s a reasonable assumption.
If a dimari was trained as a nurse, they might suppose that their master was a doctor, perhaps, or they might think that they could be sent to a planet or a colony that was in need of medical skills.
Perhaps a new colony on a fringe planet.
But they would end up being very surprised if their master was a hoverbike-racer with a penchant for buying expensive art.
It just doesn’t fit their training. So do what you can to figure out, with or without Jai’s help, what sort of master pays a ridiculous amount of money for someone who’s simultaneously a combat specialist and an erotic companion. ”
I pondered that as I sipped my coffee. “Nothing springs to mind,” I said, a minute or two later. “I don’t see the connection between the two.”
“There are corners of the galaxy that are dark and dingy places,” Bryce reminded me.
“I’m not saying this is the only option, but consider; a cage fighter in a ring where the owner of the den gets to have sex with whoever wins the fight.
” He gave my arm a nudge. “Stop thinking so cleanly. There are plenty more options that are just as sordid. So do a bit of digging through Jai’s brain, and-”
He was cut off by a shrill beeping from his comm – an emergency alert from the base. He cursed and hastily checked the message, just as my comm started beeping just as urgently. I pulled up the message.
All available staff report to Hon Base ASAP. AEV Navigator has been shot down by pirate vessel. All hands needed for rescue operation.
“Fuck me!” I cursed, immediately jumping to my feet, and then instantly reconsidering my next course of action. I needed to get home, but first, I needed to tell Kade and Jai to meet me there. Bryce was on his feet just as quickly.
“I need to find Kade and Jai,” I said, fumbling the buttons in my hurry to pull up Kade’s contact.
Bryce, in typical fashion, bypassed my panic entirely. “I’m going home to grab my gear, then I’ll call a taxi to pick me up. We’ll swing by your place and collect the three of you. It’ll be quicker than you taking the train to get there.”
I nodded, while I focused on sending a quick message to Kade – Go home NOW.
Emergency at base. I’ll meet you there. “Good plan. I’ll see you soon,” I said to Bryce, then he was off, sprinting for the exit.
I headed in the opposite direction, my house to the south of the shopping centre, while his was to the east.
A rigorous fitness routine meant it wasn’t a huge ask for me to run the entire way home, though I was certainly out of breath by the time I got there.
I was simultaneously a little embarrassed and a bit proud to find that Kade and Jai had beaten me there.
I’d noted before that Kade was significantly fitter and faster than me, and it was reassuring to find that Jai could match him, in terms of physical capacity.
“Uniforms, military comm for you, Kade, and grab some food to eat on the way. It’s going to be a long afternoon. Bryce is picking us up in a taxi in a few minutes.”
I dashed into my bedroom, hearing the muffled, “Yes, sir,” from Kade as he pulled his t-shirt over his head…
and then, to my relief, another “Yes, sir,” from Jai, from the spare bedroom where his clothes were kept.
I stripped off quickly and re-dressed in my uniform, and by the time I was ready, Kade and Jai were both waiting by the door, and Kade had a bag in hand that contained a variety of items from the kitchen.
I didn’t bother asking what he’d brought.
He was smart enough to have figured out something appropriate.
I hustled them both outside and locked the door, waiting impatiently for Bryce to arrive.
“Okay, Jai, I’m aware that you haven’t been trained on how the Alliance runs our systems or our missions, so today, you simply need to stay near me and do as I tell you to.
I have a great deal of confidence in your abilities, having seen how easily Kade adapted to Alliance military standards.
You are to follow all reasonable orders from anyone in the military, however you are also allowed to ask questions or object if you believe the order is unnecessarily risky or you can see a better way to proceed.
If I tell either you or Kade to do something, you can figure out between the two of you who is going to do the task, and so long as one of you does it, you can both consider yourselves to have obeyed me.
” It was a sloppy order at best, but given that we had next to no time to prep for this mission, it was the best I could do under the circumstances.
I’d have to get some advice from Kade later as to how to word it better, but I hoped it would keep us all out of trouble for the rest of the day, at least.
I heard the hum of an engine, and then a car came around the corner and pulled to a stop in front of us. “Here we go,” I said, feeling trepidation at the upcoming mission, but also excited to be getting back into the action. “Let’s see how much trouble the world is in today.”