Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 51862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
They settle. Because they believe me. I hope I can live up to their faith.
I go back to the bridge wishing that there was some big, strong male who could fix this all for me, but that’s not how this works. It’s not how anything works.
On the way, I have something resembling an idea. So far my ideas have not played out great, but…
Commander Rex turns to me as I step back onto the bridge. I thought at first his interest in me was just a function of the fact that I’d slept with Zain. Now I see that he is looking at me with some true interest.
“What did the villagers say?”
“They said they would defer to our decisions. What are our decisions?”
“It’s our preference to fight to the death,” he says. “But the reality is we are yet to understand all the fighting functions of this ship and there’s a very real chance we’ll be instantly destroyed.”
“There’s another choice,” I say. “We give up the ship and some of us, in order for some of us to go free. We make a deal. A trade.”
“That could work,” Rex says, running his fingers over his chin where gray stubble is starting to emerge. “Worth a try.”
He hits the communication button and there’s a moment in which we wait for the evil aliens to answer the call. It’s faintly awkward.
“Hello, humans.”
It’s that nasty Phenix’s voice. He seems very relaxed. Triumphant, even. Like he’s already won. Like he’s spent a lifetime winning, and the very idea of losing doesn’t cross his mind.
“We’ve got a deal for you,” Rex says. “Are you ready to hear it?”
“Turn on the visual monitors,” Phenix says. “We should speak face to face.”
“We have not made those functional as yet.”
“You mean you don’t know how to turn them on,” Phenix chuckles. “Do you see the green button below the yellow slider at the far right side of the left dash?”
“You mean this orange button on the left side of the right?”
“No. I mean the green button. Big single thing beneath the yellow slider…”
“There’s three green buttons in front of me.”
Commander Rex is absolutely weaponizing his incompetence here. I can hear the frustration in the Euphorian’s voice. He certainly doesn’t sound very euphoric right now.
“Turn to your left. Look at the left dash. Then look at the right side of the left dash…”
“Hold on. I’m facing the left, and now I’m going to look over to the right.”
“Good. Yes.”
“I’ve found the yellow button…”
“Alright, human. Let’s leave this on audio,” Phenix Wrathelder sighs.
I catch Rex’s eye. He winks at me. That old man is playing the old man card hard, but I think he could have activated the video if he’d wanted to. He doesn’t want the enemy to have the ability to see us and read our expressions.
The mind games have begun.
“Here’s the deal,” he says. “We’ll give up our armed units, and one female.”
“We wish to take all females.”
“You really don’t. The women are more deadly than the men, but they don’t take orders. It’s a nightmare.”
Commander Rex’s easy, breezy misogyny seems to tickle Phenix Wrathelder.
“The female is already linked to Voros. She is the mate of one called Zain,” he adds. “I think she’d be of interest to you.”
I don’t recall discussing the possibility of sacrificing myself, but if it means everyone else escapes, that’s a deal I’m willing to make.
“In that case, this is the deal I will make with you, human commander. We will accompany you to within transport distance of the planet Earth, and those who are to be transported will be transported…”
That idea makes alarm bells ring in my head.
“No! They don’t have transport capabilities. That’s why they threw Pastor Jay out of the air lock. They’re not going to let anybody go. They’re going to kill everybody they think is weak and useless and do god knows what to the rest of us.”
“Who is the female speaking?”
“You can call me Emily. Because that’s my name. We spoke before.”
I really intended for what I had to say to come out so much more badass than that, but I’m not used to being dangerous and demanding respect from advanced, powerful creatures with evil intent.
“Emily. You are the one who has mated with the criminal Voros.”
“I am the one who was abducted from my front garden by the first ship you sent to steal us, like we were unattended pies left on a really big windowsill.”
Okay that still doesn’t sound badass, but I figure it’s more about attitude than specific words.
There’s a long pause. He’s off base. I’ve accidentally mind-fucked him. Am I good at this?
“You were taken aboard the initial ship?”
“Yes. And I watched your men throw one of ours to his death, so pardon me if I don’t think you’re going to let my people go peacefully. If you want us to surrender, you’re going to have to surrender something first.”