His response came immediately, along with a steady, red pulse of his valor squares.
"Let it."
Naima was caught between warring emotions. In the end, she tried to roll her eyes and glare at the same time. Braen grinned.
"I don’t mean to dismiss this piece of information," he said. "It’s important, but what I said is true as well."
"It’s figuring out how to beat a Brion general," Naima retorted. "And it happens that the previous reincarnations have experience with that."
“Let it," Braen repeated.
"You know," she replied. "I don't know if I'm ready to buy into all of this Brion bravado, but I have to say that you guys sure are consistent with it."
"I mean it," he explained. "If the enemy thinks it has me figured out, that's only for the best. I am a Brion and I fight like one, but that is not all that I am. Not by far."#p#分页标题#e#
Naima looked at him, her head cocked a little to one side. Her soft red hair fell in flawless disarray over her bare shoulders.
"I need to tell you something," she said then, adding to his surprise: "I have kept something from you, General. I'm not entirely convinced it's the best idea, but I'm choosing to trust you now that I have looked our enemy in the eye. We can use all the help we can get.
“I think I have an idea how to use the lifestone I found on Matthos IV. Found and brought with me."
19
Naima
The look on Braen's face would have been amusing to see in any other circumstance.
She'd felt confident enough when blurting out her secret, but seeing the general's reaction wasn't very encouraging.
Curse those Brions and their contagious bravado. I wish I had some more of that to prop myself up with…
Naima started to feel keenly vulnerable when a long moment had passed and Braen still hadn't said anything. Then the general rose to his feet, slowly and pointedly.
"You possess a piece of the lifestone," he said. "You have it with you, on my ship?"
No going back. No use in denying it now, he'd just have my room searched.
"Yes."
"And at what point were you going to tell me?" Braen asked, turning back to her, his blue eyes flashing with clear irritation.
"When I trusted you," Naima replied, quite aware she was starting another fight with the general from her sick bed.
She knew how it sounded. Braen would not like that answer from her. But if he was adamant about being honest with her, well, she could reply with some of the same.
"Have I given you any reason to doubt me?" he asked, the fury rising to the surface faster than Naima had anticipated.
It was practically a roar, as close as he'd come to yelling at her. Even so, Naima wasn't going to take it lying down.
Other than literally, that was. She was still very weak, but her determination and the idea she'd had gave her strength to push on, if not to stand up. Not that rising to her full height would do much – she was more than a foot shorter than the general.
"Plenty," she said as forcefully as she dared. "You promised me everything, but it turned out I had to promise everything to you in return. You said I had a choice, but the lovely catch was that it was only on the condition that I eventually agreed with you. And you are a Brion. Surely you see why someone wouldn't immediately hand you a weapon like that?"
Pretty much all of those words were a mistake, Naima could see it at once. Only she was beyond caring. They were a mistake in the sense that they obviously riled Braen up, but she felt the opposite of regret. The truth was coming out at last and her conscience was clear.
"Brion," the general snarled, anger ruining the inherent nobility of his face. "You say that word like it's a curse. I thought you were better than this, to believe every rumor that goes around about us. Should a scientist not conduct their own experiments? I told you, it is a cultivated image –"
"The fuck it is," Naima cut in, sitting up.
The room was cast in shadows again.
The adrenaline was rushing through her body with such viciousness that it was hard to keep track of her words. There was no filter between her mind and her tongue. Naima knew she should sugarcoat a few things, but she refused to. After all, had the general ever been told the truth? Had anyone ever dared ask if he’d looked in the damn mirror?
"I know you're trying to be better," she said, words pouring out of her mouth, "but that doesn't take away your bloody past nor erase it. You act like being good for a fraction of your history should somehow make us all forget and forgive the death you've reaped.
“You are a warrior species, your ships are indestructible and your weapons the best there are. How can others not be uneasy around you? A little distrusting?"
Naima didn't need Brion senses to hear how heavily the general was breathing. She saw glimpses of his temper, trying to overtake him, but he kept it at bay. With difficulty, it seemed to her.
"It is true," he said through gritted teeth. "Our dark days are still fresh in the galactic memory. But I would presume trying to – as you said – be good would warrant us some degree of trust. And we're not talking about some random warship and a random woman. This is you and me."
Naima wished with all her heart that there was a way for her to switch perspectives with Braen just for a second. So they could see the world through the other's eyes. Perhaps it wouldn't have felt so much like talking to a wall then.#p#分页标题#e#
Or you could just tell him the rest of what is bothering you…
With all the patience she could muster, she gathered herself.
"You and I met two weeks ago," she said, emphasizing every word. "You don't know me. I don't know you. All I have to go by are these short days we've spent together and all your long history. I'm telling you now. I'm trusting you now. Is that not worth anything?"
Like a dam before a surge of a tidal wave, Braen's rage seemed to stop. The angry dark light receded, leaving the room once more comfortably dim. The general's expression relaxed, despite still bearing the mark of deep disappointment. His entire body language spoke of calming and Naima felt like she'd escaped from the brink of a chasm.
To salvage whatever could be saved from their relationship, she wanted to keep explaining. Though why she thought that was a wise idea, she’d never be quite certain. Was she not supposed to be driving him further away?
"I know none of this is what you want to hear, General. I know this is not what you want or how you imagined it would be, but it's all I can give you. No matter what issues we have between us, I no longer believe that Brions are entirely what I imagined you to be before I met you.
“Sure, you're a little hot-tempered and I'm pretty sure I saw one of your warriors try to gouge his own eyeballs out when I was showing a bare shoulder –"
Her attempt to break the tension seemed to be working, judging by the soft smirk on Braen's lips.
"– But I've come to see you really aren't the monsters I used to read about when I was younger. I admit I hid the stone from you, but I always intended to tell you this once I was sure you wouldn't use it... misguidedly.
“You are a great man, General, and I believe with all my heart you will be the one to rid us all of the Fearless. I want you to know that."
There general graced her with one solemn nod. As much as Naima could tell, her honesty didn't fall on deaf ears, but she saw that she'd hurt Braen. It made her feel oddly terrible, despite the fact everything she'd said was what she believed.
Considering the importance of their mission, Naima didn't think they could really afford to pretty things up.
It was painful, though. To her as much as it was to him, which came as a surprise to Naima. Cuddling up in his arms and ignoring all this rationality and reason and death and despair would have been so much easier.
The valor squares on Braen's neck started pulsing a disruptive sound, although quiet. Naima frowned, but the general shook his head.
"On the topic of trust," he said. "I do not want the android to hear us and if it's close, it most certainly can, even through steel walls. Where is the stone now? Is it safe?"
Carefully, Naima got up. She was dressed in the most comfortable pants she could find and a loosely fitting white shirt that was seductively see-through. As she slowly made her way to her cupboard, contemplating whether the Fearless' attack turned her into glass, she could notice the general watching her with a range of emotions.
The lust was clear to see, but it wasn't his desire for her that caught Naima's attention. It was the way he followed her at a respectful distance, ready to catch her. When she stumbled, Braen practically twitched, his hands aching to aid her, but she was grateful he did not touch her.
Too much had already gone wrong because she was unable to resist his touch. They couldn't afford more distractions than the tense relationship between them already was. He had a galaxy to save, she didn’t want to mess with his focus on top of everything else.
Naima retrieved the stone, opening the little box that held it with care, making sure not to brush against the treasure. The bracelet on her wrist felt a little heavier as she did so.
The general came closer and Naima had to bite her lip not to lean in and rest her head against his strong, wide chest.