The glow of the lifestone was so bright it drowned out even the general's valor squares. Braen leaned in, observing the stone with wide eyes. Naima was surprised.
She didn't know exactly what she'd expected. A hunger, like the Fearless, for the general to be drawn to the lifestone like everyone else in the galaxy seemed to. But there was nothing of the sort. The way he looked at it reminded Naima painfully of herself. Curiosity, interest, not the self-serving greed she'd feared.
It was an immense relief that she'd been right to tell him.
"It's beautiful," Braen said, glancing at her for a moment. "I must admit I'm tempted to hold it. Not for the reasons you might think. If I was connected to the Fearless too, it might leave you and Audrey Price alone. Don't be offended, but it would make sense for it to target me. I could protect you."#p#分页标题#e#
Every time, Naima thought to herself. Kerven was right. It's infuriating at times and more than often a little condescending, but he really does always think of me first. Always.
"I agree, General," she said. "I think that's the reason why you shouldn't do it. Audrey would say the same, I'm sure. We can't risk it. I am a perfect link to it because other than the connection between us, there is nothing special about me to the Fearless. It has almost nothing to gain from my mind. You, on the other hand, are its greatest enemy. If it gets into your head..."
"I could hold it off."
Naima smiled, sighing melodramatically.
"You'd fare better than me and Audrey, maybe," she admitted. "Brions have great self-control, what with your valor squares, I know, but the Fearless is the most dangerous creature in the galaxy. You've said it yourself. If it accesses a fraction of your intentions, it's that much harder for us."
Miracles continued as she saw Braen nodding.
"You are right," he said. "It's better if my mind is guarded against the monster for now. I only offered to let you know that I would give you the reprieve without hesitation."
"I know you would."
The pang of guilt that hit her gut at that moment almost made her reel. If the tides were turned, would she do the same? The fact that the answer was leaning more towards ‘yes’ than ‘no’ was equally as troubling as it would have been if the answer was different.
The silence between them as they stood, the lifestone between them, was the most peaceful Naima had felt in the general's presence yet. It wasn't the post-coital satisfaction, nor the desperate search for rest after the Fearless' attacks. The room itself seemed to fill with intimacy of a wholly different kind, one of finally being on the same page about something.
"You said you had an idea," Braen said then.
Her excitement was back in an instant. Naima felt herself smiling widely as she always did when her work was under discussion.
"I've been thinking about this a lot," she said with a self-deprecating grin. "From the moment I found the stone and ever since. Do you see the box? Touch it, but be careful with the stone."
Braen gave her a stern look, but his mood was so much better that Naima was starting to forget he could be anything but cheerful and passionate around her. As cheerful as a Brion general could be, anyway.
The general ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the little box in her hands. Naima nearly dropped it when his touch skimmed over her skin, only for a heartbeat. The pleasure such a short contact sent through her was overwhelming, but she pushed it away.
"It's only a box, though. I'm not sure what you want me to feel."
"When I took the lifestone, this was a wooden box from Terra," Naima explained. "A memento of my childhood. Roughly carved, but it was the first one I found and I was in a hurry. I threw the lifestone in it and didn't check it for a while. Now look at it. It's still wood, but it's flawless, polished. And then there's this."
She shut the box with a quick snap and threw it on the floor as hard as she could. Braen's eyes flashed again as he was about to give her a lecture, no doubt. Something along the lines of being more careful with priceless treasures.
"It's alright," Naima said, picking the box up and showing it to the general to prove her words. "Not a scratch, not anything. The stone is fine too, don't worry."
"Very well," he said carefully. "So the stone has enhanced the box. It's not surprising. We knew it does that. It's the reason why it's so important."
"Yes, but hear me out," Naima continued, feeling her cheeks burn as she grew more certain with every second. "We know the lifestone magnifies, amplifies whatever it touches, right? I think it does more. Take this box. It was made of wood before it came into contact with the stone. Therefore, the lifestone should have made it better, but even the most perfect version of a wooden box is still wood. It should break or at least chip when I smashed it. Yet it didn't. The lifestone added that quality itself."
"You speak of it like it's sentient," Braen said seriously.
"I don't think so," Naima argued at once. "Not in the way we perceive sentience, at least. I believe it's just... very specific. It doesn't only enhance the material it touches, but the thing itself. The stone somehow understood the function of a box and compensated for its shortcomings."#p#分页标题#e#
Braen’s brows hiked up as he looked at her with an expression as close to surprise as she’d ever seen on him.
"That is incredible," the general said, suddenly looking at her like she'd solved all the mysteries of the universe. "If this is true, it's an amazing breakthrough in our understanding of the stone. I will report it to the union 's council at once."
"Do so," Naima agreed happily, "but make sure they understand it's a working theory for now, General. We need to test the concept and I think I have the perfect object to test it with."
"What do you have in mind?" Braen asked.
As an answer, Naima raised the hand that wore the beautiful Palian bracelet.
"This," she said. "My connection to the lifestone has brought me so much pain. Let it protect me now, from itself."
20
Braen
Laveden welcomed them with mixed emotions.
On one hand, the Palians were clearly disappointed that he hadn't set the fastest course to the Fearless. On the other, of all the species, they understood the concern Braen had for Naima's health and they were more than excited about her new theory.
Thankfully, the Palians had been in no hurry to argue with Braen about finding treatment for her first and dealing with the Fearless second.
The dropship descended smoothly, but Naima looked pale and her expression spoke of clear desire for the trip to be over. She was sitting hunched over on a seat, strapped with belts while Braen chose to stand nearby in case she needed him. Seeing her so distressed, the general frowned, checking to see if the bracelet was properly closed. It was.
"Are you alright, my gesha?" he asked.
It said plenty about Naima's condition that she didn't have the strength to raise an argument about her not being anything of the sort. Instead, she shook her head. It seemed like the conversation they had had after the Fearless’ attack had taken what little energy she had left right out of her.
"I think I'm going to be sick," she managed to whisper, leaning her head forward and moaning in silent pain.
"Is it the Fearless?" he demanded, aware that his voice grew rougher when he spoke of the monster.
"No, I don't think so," Naima said. "It just feels like I've been put on a carousel and they switched it to turbo. My insides want to jump right out of me. Perhaps we should have taken Alona with us. It could diagnose me, see if I've eaten something that didn't sit well with me or something."
"The android had to stay aboard the Benevolent," Braen insisted seriously. "I can't risk that it finds out what we're trying to do. And you have not eaten at all, per the android’s report. If it works, Alona will be able to tell anyway. Until that time, I don't think we should share your theory.
“Hold on, my heart, we are almost there. This is a Palian world. I'm sure they have diagnostic equipment built into the landing bay."
Naima laughed, but even that simple action seemed to cause her difficulties. She was starting to look so sick Braen seriously considered stopping the ship mid-descent and waiting for her to be better.
When he offered that to Naima, her reaction was immediate and horrified: "What? No. I – ugh, I just want this thing to land. I want it to be over as quickly as possible. Tell them to speed up."
The general chose to take that as joke, looking on as Naima struggled. It made him feel incredibly helpless, an emotion he was not familiar with and had no desire to be. Instead, he spoke into the comm link.
"Pilot, alert the Palians. Tell them Miss Jones is very ill and needs medical attention. She claims it doesn't have anything to do with the Fearless, but we need to be sure."
"Yes, General," the warrior replied.
Braen cut the link, regarding Naima with growing unease. It didn't make any sense. The last few days after Naima had confessed possessing a lifestone had been entirely peaceful. Their fights still hung heavy between them, but there was a new level of familiarity as well that was somehow even better than the initial – and prevailing – desire he felt for her.