Alien General's Baby (Brion Brides 7)(38)

Except for: Okay, that got dark fast.

"Fine," Naima said, walking away from him with Alona in tow.

Her heart was beating a million miles a minute when she sat down on a low sofa, motioning for Alona to sit opposite her. She didn't think androids got tired, but it took some of the uncanniness away from it.

In her heart, Naima knew she was being foolish, risking her life as well as that of her unborn child. Yet she had to trust in herself and the need for information was too great to play it safe. Brions, she thought, should understand. Great risk, great reward.

"Tell me the truth," she said, her voice shaking a little. "Right at this moment, could you kill me?"

Naima had made sure her voice was as quiet as it could be. The fact that Kerven didn't wince told her they were far enough away even for the amazing Brion senses to catch her words.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the warrior looking like a statue. Fixed in place to run, spear at the ready, not moving a muscle. Kerven's eyes were fierce and the valor squares pulsed a nervous red.

She was struck with the realization she'd managed the impossible and made a Brion warrior afraid. For her, for his life, for all of them.

If Alona hurt her, would Braen be able to concentrate enough to kill the Fearless?

The weight of the world seemed to drop on Naima's shoulders as the android tipped its head to one side slightly and knitted its brows.

Is this helping or hurting him? she had to wonder.

It could go either way, and that didn’t exactly instill confidence in her.

"That is an odd question."

"Maybe," Naima admitted, relieved Alona hadn't done it already. "I simply want to know."

"Perhaps," the android replied with an almost disinterested tone. "That depends on many factors. Your guard is strong and fast. You are at a bad angle for me and I don't have weapons, but I suppose I could break your neck.

“You might jump away, throw something between us to allow your guard to reach us. I'd say the chances are about fifty-fifty. Why do you ask? Do you think I was sent here to harm you?"

Alright. That was definitely honest enough.

"Erm," Naima said, nodding her head in acceptance. "Well, I suppose I did ask for honesty. Thank you for that."

Whatever else she thought of the Chali, their technology truly was amazing. Alona's apologetic smile was so genuine and realistic that for a moment Naima even didn't notice that the android was a pearly white mechanical construct.

"I sense you wanted me to lie," the android said.

"A little," Naima admitted. "It's a Terran thing."

She gazed at Alona, considering her options. In the battle against the Fearless, there was only so much she could do. She didn't possess a warship, nor anything close to Braen's martial capabilities. Naima was a Terran scientist, in way over her head and she had to fight with the tools she was given.

Rationality and logic were her weapons and she would never be able to live with herself if she didn’t try to use them to gain some kind of an advantage for Braen.

"One more truth, then," she prompted. "Why are you here? Let me rephrase that. In your opinion, why are you here? Of all the androids the Chali and your mistress possess, why were you chosen to come to us?"

It was the first time she saw surprise on Alona's face. The android shifted oddly, a twitch running through it. Naima's eyes flicked to Kerven. When the warrior took a step closer, she raised her hand, shaking her head quietly.

"That was not the question I was expecting," the android admitted, somehow disturbed.

There was no other word for it. Its gray eyes were shifting around in the eye sockets, for once utterly inhuman. Naima thought she could see the android figuring out something neither one of them were supposed to. She'd wanted a thread, but all of a sudden it seemed as though she'd cut through the entire web.#p#分页标题#e#

"I don't know," Alona said, her soft voice cracking.

Kerven took another step closer, bathing the room around them in such a deep crimson that Naima thought she'd stepped right into hell.

"Mistress Sinetha is blocking my access to files containing my self-image," Alona went on, anger plain in its voice. "She's cutting me off from my emotional simulation core – Something's wrong. You're in danger! Call the gen-"

Kerven was moving before the android finished the sentence. Without a second's hesitation, the warrior put himself between her and Alona, kicking the sofa Naima was sitting on away like it didn't weigh anything. Naima slid away, looking back just in time to see Sinetha taking over control.

The android's kind features twisted in disappointed rage, the gaze piercing, trying to turn Naima to dust with its glare alone.

She'd seen androids do that. What were the chances that Alona didn't have that built in?

"You stupid little bitch!" Sinetha's voice roared across the room as the now remote controlled android jumped back from Kerven's first blow. "You were supposed to be a tame, useless hostage! Now you've ruined it! You've cost me a fortune! You have killed me! I will cut that brat from your belly –"

That was all she could say before Kerven's next blow struck home. The Brion spear lodged itself firmly in Alona's midsection. Despite herself, Naima gasped in horror. Sinetha was a fucking maniac, but the android had tried to save her.

Yet it looked like she didn't need to worry about Alona too much. The sharpest weapon in the world hadn't cut it in half and when Kerven pulled the spear back, the surprise was plain to see on his face.

The Chali built their toys better than the Brions gave them credit for, it seemed. Naima couldn't help but wonder if Sinetha's boast about Alona being able to take on the warriors had not been a joke at all.

With a roar, the possessed – she couldn't think of it in any other way – android jumped for her. After what she'd seen, Naima knew she didn't have long.

Leaving Kerven to fend off Sinetha's furious charge, Naima dashed to the console embedded in every wall in the case of an emergency. She opened a link to the bridge.

"Braen!" she screamed.





23





Braen





Naima's scream echoed across the bridge.

The general didn't wait to listen to the rest. His gesha's voice still pierced his ears when he ran out of the door and to her quarters. He saw the corridors and the hallways only as they flashed by, but they had never been so long. Braen's speed was such that he actually crashed into a few corners because he didn't have the time to slow for turns.

Naima was in danger. It was all he knew, all he cared about. The tone of her voice had left no argument there.

Braen was tempted to open a comm link to Kerven, but he didn't dare to distract his warrior in what had to be a fight for his gesha's life. At the background of her call, he'd heard noises of a clear battle.

With every step he took, rage rose within him. Naima should have been safe on his ship, safe from anything that might harm her. That left only one possible answer as to her assailant.

The hallway leading to Naima's rooms was filled with warriors, shouting over each other. The noise had been heard, but fighting inside personal quarters was uncomfortable and tight. All Brions knew numbers didn't win battles and none of them wanted to get in the way of whoever was still fighting inside.

And there was definitely fighting going on, since Braen could hear Naima's voice and the clashing of metal.

"Move!" he roared.

The corridor emptied for him immediately, every warrior stepping out of the way, allowing Braen to pass.

He crashed into the rooms, pushing through the broken doors with his bulk alone. His valor squares were pulsing angrily, emitting a low growl to match his temper.

The general's eyes looked for Naima first. In battle, it would have been the wrong move, because the enemy always took priority, but nothing in the world mattered more than his gesha. Braen saw her at once, as well as the problem.

The reason why his men hadn't taken the android down yet was simple.

Alona was standing in front of Naima, a cruel smile on its lips. His gesha was standing, leaning against the wall, cradling a bleeding arm. Seeing her hurt made Braen's blood boil. If there was ever a moment when he couldn't let his fierce spirit get the better of him, that was it.#p#分页标题#e#

"General," Kerven said, backing away from Alona to address him. "The Chali has taken over. The android is more durable than we predicted. The spears barely scratch it."

Quick, straight-to-the-point, like a true Brion. It dissipated Braen's disappointment in him just a little. Nonetheless –

"Are the spears broken?" he asked, eying the android who had firmly taken him in sights now.

"No, sir."

"Then you're not hitting hard enough."

His voice was cool and collected, but the valor squares exposed the lie of it. It was hard to properly concentrate on anything when all Braen wanted was to jump at Alona and rip the android to pieces for ever daring to touch Naima.

He pulled the heavy spear from its sheath, watching as the enemy's lifeless eyes traveled along the sharp blade. It was obvious that while Sinetha was finally revealing her hand, she didn't take it lightly. There was a reason why she was being careful despite the fact that losing Alona's current body wouldn't have been a big loss. The Chali could easily put the AI in a new body and be done with it.