Chapter 4 #2
Kai and Rehz were stony-faced, polite but noncommittal, and Anna wasn’t much better.
President Landis Khan was being very affable, and Aled was trying to be the same.
He reasoned someone had to make an effort to charm the shit out of the man, and it might as well be him.
Bron, the chief security officer, had his eyes glued on Kai, which didn’t make Aled feel good as Kai was actively encouraging his attention.
He leaned forward to refill his glass and elbowed Kai hard in the side.
“Having fun?”
“Yeah. Jealous?”
Aled smiled at him. “Absolutely. I’m taking it out on your ass later.”
Kai’s eyes flashed green. “Is that a promise?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether that big hulk is fucking you at the time.” He slid his hand under the table and pinched Kai’s half-erect cock hard enough to make him jump. “I assume that’s what you’re aiming for?”
Kai slowly let out his breath. “You okay with that?”
“If I have to be.” He pinched Kai again and then released him before turning his attention back to Landis Khan, who was watching him with a slight smile.
“Did I mention that I know your grandfather, Aled?”
“No, sir.”
“I met him at the council chamber for your district when he was governor. I believe he fought in the military as well.”
“Yes, he did.”
“Do you intend to resume your military career?”
“I thought being immersed in Ungrich space meant I had the freedom to choose my own destiny.”
“One might hope so.” The president sighed. “However, having a man such as you remain in the military would be an enormous benefit to our troops.”
Kai’s arm snaked around Aled’s shoulders, pulling him close. “He’s not going back to being a military grunt. He’s coming to live with me.”
“You would also be an asset, Kai Mexr.”
“I don’t deal with authority figures well. Palk hated my guts.”
At the mention of Palk’s name, everyone around the table became more alert.
The president put down his glass, carefully aligning the base with the pattern of the fancy tablecloth. “General Palk is no longer in command of the Tribute program or anything else.”
“Surely that’s because there is no Tribute program anymore?” Rehz asked.
“It’s not quite that simple, Rehz Akran.”
Rehz sat forward. “Are you seriously telling us that after the fucking nightmare we’ve been through, you still intend to deal with those monsters? Don’t you understand what they wanted to do?”
“I fear we might have misunderstood their motives.”
Anna stood up. “I didn’t.” Her voice was shaking. “They took my eggs. They are creating something in their labs!”
“It’s okay, Anna.” Rehz took her hand and coaxed her back into her seat.
“It’s not okay. Anna’s right.” Aled nodded. “I was there.” He glared at the president. “How can you countenance dealing with them again when you know their true agenda?”
“We signed a treaty with their race.”
“A treaty which they broke,” Rehz snapped. “They took Anna and Aled without permission.”
“That’s not true,” the president said. “They believed they had Palk’s permission.”
“Yeah.” Kai entered the fray. “And who exactly gave Palk permission to get away with that stunt? Someone had to.”
“There is a large segment of the government that would prefer to live peacefully with the Ungrich . I understand that Palk found his supporters among those people.”
“But the Ungrich don’t want to live in peace,” Rehz said. “They want to fucking annihilate all of us and take back the planet’s surface. We lived in their heads and in their world for weeks. We know the truth more than anyone. Don’t you get it?”
“And what do you suggest we do, Rehz Akran? Go into their world and annihilate them instead?” The president grimaced.
“Maybe you are too young to remember the colony wars when cities were swallowed whole by the Ungrich , and millions died. We still can’t beat them.
We don’t have the weapons to destroy them without destroying ourselves. ”
“So we just sit back and play nice?” Aled demanded.
“It’s not quite that desperate. Thanks to the bravery of the four of you, we know what they are attempting and can prevent it.”
“And just how do you intend to do that?” Kai asked.
“By screening all potential Tributes for human DNA. If we no longer supply them with what they need, they won’t be able to experiment any further.”
Aled shook his head. “You don’t understand them at all, do you, sir? They know what they want now, and they crave it like a drug. If you won’t supply it, don’t you think they’re going to find ways to obtain it for themselves?”
“I agree with Aled,” Rehz said. “But you don’t fucking care, do you, Landis Khan? Because you’ve got your precious treaty.”
The president sat back, looking less regretful than Aled thought he had a right to be. “I’m sorry you feel this way. We were hoping to retain you all as advisors on this matter.”
Kai’s laugh was short and bitter. “I’d advise you to get in there and blow them up. That’s it. How about you guys?”
Anna nodded. “Sounds like a great plan to me.”
“We do intend to use the information you brought us about the supposed experimentation to develop some more targeted organic weapons. Our scientists believe that interfering with them at a cellular level might be successful.”
“Well, thank the gods for that at least,” Rehz muttered. “I might even be willing to be consulted about that.”
“You would ?” The president smiled. “Thank you.” His gaze moved over all four of them.
“I realize you might not believe me, but the Mitan government really is in your debt, and we are deeply grateful for your efforts. I have been authorized to offer you all Exalted Citizen status, with all that entails, and an income for life.”
“Where can we live?” Rehz’s gaze was intent.
“Wherever you wish.” The president looked puzzled. “We have no intention of curtailing your freedom.”
Rehz glanced at Kai and then at Aled and Anna. “All of us?”
“Yes. We would also like to offer you a lifetime security detail.” He turned to Bron. “I’ve actually offered my chief of security the opportunity to form your detail if you want him onboard.”
“When can we leave?”
“When you are cleared by my medical staff.”
“It’s that simple?” Rehz asked.
“Why should it not be?”
“Because of those elements you mentioned within the government. The ones who helped Palk. Where is Palk, by the way?”
Bron cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, General Palk has disappeared. We have men out searching for him at this moment.”
Kai groaned. “That’s fucking great.”
“We’ll find him,” Bron said. “He’s wounded.”
“And all the more dangerous for it.” Rehz tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “I know the man. He loves causing pain and fear.”
“If you don’t wish to make permanent plans quite yet, I would be honored to offer you my family ranch in Zangreb Province. It is secure and quite isolated.”
Aled looked at Bron, who nodded, his brown gaze steady. “We could keep you safe there until we capture Palk. The security systems are first-rate, as befits a presidential residence.”
Rehz raised an eyebrow at Kai. “We will discuss this among ourselves and give you our decision tomorrow.”
“As you wish.” The president stood up, his silver hair gleaming in the candlelight.
“I’ll leave you to think over what we’ve talked about.
I know you feel we have ignored your valuable information and compromised with an enemy that does not deserve it, but we felt we had no choice.
And we are convinced that with our new methods of selection for the Tribute program, we should prevent anything like this ever happening again. ”
He bowed and left the room, followed by Bron, leaving the four of them sitting around the table.
“What a fucking waste of time.” Kai stretched his arms over his head. “I suppose at least we’re still alive.”
Aled frowned. “I think he was being sincere.”
“Yeah. I think he was too,” Rehz said slowly. “Should we take him up on his offer of a temporary retreat?”
“Why not?” Kai said. “If they do intend to kill us, we stand a better chance of surviving an assassination attempt with a smaller security force around us, rather than in the president’s own palace.”
“Agreed.” Aled looked at Anna, who was swaying in her seat. “Are you okay?”
She suddenly stood up and bolted for the bathroom, Aled in pursuit. He reached her just as she finished puking up her guts and knelt beside her, a comforting arm around her back.
“Get your fucking hands off her.” His shirt was yanked backward and he was practically thrown against the wall by Rehz.
“I was just—”
Kai pressed a hand down on his shoulder. “Shut up, Aled, and let Rehz tend to her.”
He shook off Kai’s restraining grip. “I was trying to help her. It’s not my fault I got there faster than Rehz.”
Rehz spun around to face him. “Shut the fuck up and don’t fucking touch my female without permission. You’ve done enough damage as it is.”
“Rehz. Stop it.” Anna pushed past her lover.
“Aled did what he had to do to survive. We all did. Leave him alone.” She pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes with unsteady fingers.
“I’ve been feeling nauseous for days now, and the medical staff won’t tell me what’s going on.
” She swallowed hard and met Aled’s gaze. “What if I’m pregnant?”
Rehz growled something unintelligible as the bottom dropped out of Aled’s stomach. “We can talk to the medics tomorrow and demand some answers, okay?”
“It could be my child, Rehz,” Aled said.
Kai groaned. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Can we just avoid all the melodrama? It could be any of us. It could be a fucking Ungrich .”
Anna went even paler, and Aled cast Kai a warning look.
“Right,” Rehz shot to his feet. “I’m getting someone down here right now to answer some questions.”
“I’ll call Dr. Ilkar.” The medic kept his hands in the air as Kai gestured at him with his weapon.
“You do that.”