As soon as she'd said that, Naima felt an unease she hadn't expected.
The silence she'd never noticed and always taken for granted was suddenly back, but she'd gotten used to the constant silent call of the lifestone. Even to the occasional glimpses of dark red eyes, hearing someone's raspy breathing when there was no one close. The cold, too.
With all of it taken away, Naima felt deaf to the galaxy. The glove didn't take the Fearless away, it simply dulled her senses. She hoped it did the same to the monster, but there was no way to be sure.
As Braen took her back to the Benevolent and they resumed their mission, Naima couldn't shake an ominous feeling. Audrey had warned her that the Fearless would use every weakness she had and Naima had just found out about the baby.
The question was, had the Fearless?
22
Naima
The reinforced glove was an immense relief, especially when taking the same dropship back to the Benevolent. Still, the silence and the serenity bothered Naima. She never thought it would.
Of course she didn't miss the looming presence of the Fearless, but there had been something comforting about always feeling the monster at the back of her mind. She'd known it was out there, looking for a way in, preparing. Growing stronger, but that it wasn’t strong enough yet. Now Naima felt blind and deaf and it wasn't the peace and quiet she'd hoped for.
Guess I’m not right about everything, she mused, stealing a glance at Braen.
Yet nothing could diminish the elation she felt when she thought of her baby. Knowing she was going to be a mother changed everything for Naima.
All her life, she'd been a team of one. Now, suddenly, she was fighting for two and like a lioness, she was prepared to do anything to make sure the threat hanging over her would never bear down on her child.
Braen's presence was comforting, naturally. There was something inherently reassuring about six feet tall space hunks with an army and a flying fortress.
As she stepped back on the huge warship, Naima excused herself, saying she needed to rest, which the general quickly agreed to. He hurried off, barking orders to make all haste for the Darnetta system now that the situation had escalated.
Naima wandered back to her room, not even thinking of rest. The hours she'd spent on Laveden had changed everything and after weeks of lounging around, she suddenly felt like she had no time. The confirmation that her theory had been right was one issue. The need to find out what the Chali intended was the second.
Now there was so much to do. And she had to do something to be able to ignore the deafening silence in her mind.
What it all meant for her and Braen was third, but Naima couldn't bear to think about that. She'd been so concerned with making sure their relationship was real and not some alien mumbo-jumbo that the new development knocked her off guard.
Her heart had given in to the general a long while ago, but it brought with it all the dangers she'd expected. Compared to the fear of hurting him, the fear of making a mistake was nothing.
Kerven was waiting for her dutifully when Naima arrived, her temporary guards leaving her with the young warrior. She wondered if she'd ever not feel weird about a bunch of armed-to-the-teeth super soldiers following her, ready to lay down their lives for her.
"Miss Jones," Kerven welcomed her. "Was the trip a success? I see you are no longer wearing the bracelet."
"Yes," Naima said, smiling, trying to tell herself that it was a good thing she no longer had any awareness of the Fearless.
Maybe if she kept repeating it to herself, she’d start really believing it.
"Could you fetch Alona for me?"
The warrior immediately tensed up, a deep frown on his face.
"Yes, Miss Jones. Does the general know?"
"I will tell him later," Naima said. "Call the android, please."
Having said that, she jumped into the room and closed the doors before Kerven could protest. Experience had told her that while Brions were naturally inclined to follow the orders of their officers, they didn't do that well with potential disobedience. In situations where the consent of the general was dubious, it was better to quickly make herself scarce and not give the warrior a chance to bombard her with questions.#p#分页标题#e#
From her screen, Naima watched with an amused grin as Kerven took a moment to consider and finally spoke something into his comm link. She retreated to what passed for her living room to wait, hoping she hadn't gotten any of them in too much trouble.
After all, it had been Braen's idea that she befriend the android. Truth be told, Naima had no idea how to do that. It wasn't like she could start by finding out what they had in common or talk about guys or movies or the latest space gossip.
No, she had another approach in mind. As much as Naima had met androids, they were very... single-minded. It was natural that artificial beings had no trouble computing their own beliefs and since nothing really surprised them, they weren't prone to change their minds.
All she had to do was find a thread, tug on it and find out what Alona really thought.
As she waited, Naima's mind drifted to the future. It was so natural to suddenly start planning for it, when there was bound to be a baby who relied on her for everything. The mere thought of her child brought a smile to her lips.
If it's a girl, I'm going to call her Joy, she decided. Braen can pick the name if it's a boy, I think that's only fair.
And just like that, she knew she was gone. Gone way too far to ever be able to leave the general. Every image of the future she conjured up had Braen in it, right there by her side, strong and solid and forever. Like the center of the galaxy, everything else seemed to revolve around him and Naima couldn't muster any strength to fight against what she'd desired for a while now.
She’d just have to work out how she could give him as much as he was obviously willing to bestow upon her.
The beeping of the door brought her out of the dreams with a start. She opened it and Alona entered, with Kerven right behind her.
"Thank you," Naima said, nodding.
Kerven didn't move. He didn't impose either, just stood where he'd stopped, staunchly. There was deep resolve in his expression and she noticed he didn't take his eyes off the android for a second.
Braen.
"Leave us," Naima ordered, trying to mimic the firm, precise tone in which the general voiced his commands. "Alona isn't a threat to me."
"I'm afraid that's not for you to decide, Miss Jones," Kerven replied. "In this case, the orders of the general were very clear. I mustn't leave you alone."
Naima was about to protest and say quite a few things on her mind about her rights, but Alona was smiling. At first, she was caught off-guard by the action, thinking the Chali were finally ready to reveal their plans – whatever those may be. Instinctively, Naima backed away, her hands covering her belly, but then she got a good look of Alona's face. The smile wasn't cruel or calculating as she'd assumed.
It was sad.
"I understand," the android said with her soft voice, addressing the warrior. "I didn't expect anything less from General Braen. What were your commands?"
"Never to leave you alone with his gesha," Kerven replied without blinking an eye.
Naima badly wanted to roll hers, but she resisted. From the first moment, she'd liked the android, but Braen had a point with his over-protectiveness. She didn't really know Alona and only a minute ago she'd jumped away like she'd been bitten, afraid it would attack her and the baby.
Clearly, there were some trust issues.
"Very well," Alona said. "We will do as your general commands. I have nothing to hide."
"I don't like this," Naima cut in. "I can speak to whoever I please."
It was worth a shot.
"Yes, Miss Jones. With the exception of possible agents of the enemy," Kerven deadpanned, clearly reluctant to be in the middle of it all.
"It's okay," Alona said. "The general is concerned with your safety, as he should be. We can talk in the next room and the warrior can observe. That was your task, wasn't it? You can't leave us, but you don't have to listen in."
Naima grinned victoriously, not entirely sure why she was so excited about the prospect of sitting in close quarters with a being that could no doubt kill her in many ways before Kerven could even move.
The young warrior was clearly concerned with the same issue. Naima decided to put her foot down. There wasn't much she could do to make the android trust her, but trusting Alona in turn seemed to be the way to go.
"Stay here," Naima told Kerven, sighing tiredly. "Not everything is a threat. The responsibility is mine."#p#分页标题#e#
So far, Kerven had been courteous with her, very much so for a Brion. In that moment, however, the look in the warrior's blue eyes was almost angry.
"I will stay as far away as I dare, but not an inch further. You still don't understand what a gesha is, Miss Jones. If the android harms you, nothing will fill the void in the general's heart. He could kill every Chali trader and all their toys, wipe out every last piece of proof of their existence, but no matter how much blood he spills, it is over.
“You will be gone and no revenge will fix that. As for me, I will live for as long as he can delay my death, in agony and torture until I no longer remember what I did to deserve it."
Naima didn't reply at once. She wasn't sure what to say.