Chapter 19 #4
Which is exactly what we did: we talked through options with Vivith and what might trigger the need to remove them from the creche and how we could assure their silence, none of which felt particular satisfying to me – but Araxis was certain he could call upon Vivith's sense of duty and honour if he needed to or, failing that, effectively discredit them.
Vivith may know a great deal about me, Araxis had said, but I know a great deal about Vivith, and of the two of us, I have significantly more social capital.
He'd said that while looking at me with particular softness, so I assumed that I was figuring into that equation in some capacity.
We reviewed the terms of the agreement with the Unbound, which largely involved transporting unspecified goods in exchange for a guarantee of future meetings in Xitera and access to information networks about the Concord creches.
The mysterious cargo made us both antsy, particularly because the agreement was crystal clear: once it was loaded, the Unbound would then seal the shipping container it was in, and we couldn't go poking around; it was, the contract specified, private.
"But –" I'd said, frowning as Araxis read that particular clause to me again; the word for private was obscure, ghosted with some implications of that felt religious, almost, "I mean, what the fuck would they be bringing back that we wouldn't be allowed to know about?
It could be anything, Araxis. They could be shoving bombs into our cargo hold.
Do they blow places up? And if they do and we help –" I'd just watched a similar storyline unfold on Across the Timescape, but it felt decidedly less exciting when it might be your ship and you might be the one aiding and abetting acts of terrorism.
"The cargo is not dangerous," he'd said, plain.
"It's written into the agreement. It poses no hazards to the ship or to Creche Thiel.
It is only private." He used the abayan word again, and seemed convinced that, if something was in little glowy letters, it had to be fact.
I knew better than to believe that – I'd seen the aftermath of many clad-in-iron agreements coming to a dramatic end at the den – but maybe this was unique to abayan culture.
I was still learning. He continued, "We'll register the container to a proxy, so that if there are any questions, they will lead to a shadow far away rather than to Creche Thiel.
There's a company that we've used before when we needed a registration ID tied to no real person or organization.
It was Vivith's idea, back when –" But he'd cut himself off, jaw tight, the mention of his hatch-mate's name casting a shadow over him as it had all evening.
Because we'd also had to make tentative plans for what we would do if certain privileged pieces of information came to light – information that apparently Vivith hadn't minded sharing, although if anything should have been private, that was it.
That plan involved a lot of whole-hearted denial and then very public appearances together to leverage the good will we'd generated in the Tournament.
I'd been able to suggest a few ways we could use Silver Sea to help, if we needed to, and Araxis had seemed startled that I so readily offered up my own connections to help.
Although of course I did: this was about us, and there wasn't anything that I wouldn't do to help Araxis anyway.
We reviewed and talked and prepared until the first glimmer of light began to brighten our bedroom and Araxis finally convinced me to go to bed.
"Just for a little bit," I yawned, curling up next to him as he sat, shoulders against the headboard, looking over the notes we'd made on everything we'd talked about. "Wake me up in a couple hours."
He didn't. The fucker let me sleep til noon.
I blinked awake, golden light spilling across the floors of our bedroom, and rubbed at my eyes, stretching luxuriously in bed.
Araxis was standing in front of the display, skimming through the latest series of messages that demanded his attention.
When he heard me moving, he half-turned, shooting a soft smile in my direction.
"Good morning," he murmured, tapping the board.
I glanced at my wristband. "It's not morning."
"Hm." Araxis wandered over to the bed where I was still nestled, warm and heavy with sleep and feeling, in that moment, like I was living in a dream rather than a nightmare.
Where lazy mornings and sunny afternoons could be our reality.
"We are on a space station. Is it ever morning?
I am certain it is morning on Thelessia, at least. Wait here: I will gather some food. "
I pushed myself up. "I can do that," I yawned, scrubbing my hands over my face as I sat up. "You're busy doing important things."
"Tending to you is important," Araxis said.
"It is important to me, because it is you, Sashen.
It brings me great pleasure to care for you, if you will permit me to do so.
" He reached for me, threaded his long fingers through my sleep tangled hair, caressing the edge of my ear while the chains tinkled softly against the curve.
I blinked up at him, at the warmth of his stare. "Alright," I said, "I can permit that, if it's important to you." Like it was a hardship.
His expression softened. "I am pleased. Thank you. And besides," he murmured, thumb tracing my cheek as he looked down at me, naked and sleep tousled, a bit bruised and battered, "I have an apology to make, and then I believe you proposed a way we might spend some time together, hm?"
All at once, my skin prickled with heat. I licked my lips, staring up at him, and cleared my throat. "Well, if you'd like," I said slowly.
His lips twitched. "Yes, I would very much like that, Sashen. I will be back in a moment." And then he slipped away and vanished into the suite beyond, his unspoken promise bright in our sun-drenched room.