The rumor he was debunking in his mind was the famed stubbornness of the Uthers. Back on Nebulos and now here in orbit of the planet Darius, Stomech wasn't inviting death the way his kind was rumored to. Behind the ridiculously heavy walking suit and the boasting talk, there was an active mind that realized how much destruction he was courting by provoking Brions.
He was surprisingly cool-headed for such a hot-tempered little thing.
"I will keep my ships intact," Stomech said.
Braen had to fight down a ruthless grin that would have been below his station. It was so tempting, though, considering he'd just forced an Uther to back down.
"My question is, are we walking into a trap? Why didn't the Fearless leave the planet before? It has the ships of the Chali, it is strong enough. Yet it sits there, baiting you. I smell a trap."
"I would also like the answer to that," Naima put in diplomatically, clearly expecting him to make the Uther commander a head shorter in the very near future.
That's a fair concern, I suppose.
"You read the briefs we provided you with?" he asked Stomech. "The ones about the previous two reincarnations of the Fearless."
"Yes," the Uther said, a begrudging note of respect in his voice. "You have killed the enemy before. Not many in the galaxy can say that."
Braen allowed himself that feral smirk now, his deep voice dropping even lower as he responded to the unexpected compliment.
"And no one ever will. The Fearless knows it too. I am the man most likely to send it to the final sleep of death and it fears me. That's why it hasn't left. It doesn't want to flee, because it's pointless.
“Sooner or later, the enemy would have to face me and here, it can choose the terms. The region fit all the criteria well, which is why the Fearless chose it in the first place. As far away from the place and the warrior who killed its previous form as it could reasonably get and hidden from plain sight.
“As you said, no one comes here. Without my gesha, it would have taken me a long time to trace the enemy, by rumor and by blood.”
He paused for a moment to look at Naima. She smiled back at him and his heart seemed to swell in his chest just from that. Returning his attention to the war council, he continued unchallenged.
"You were a big part of the reason as well, I have no doubt about that. Uthers don't grant passage and the section on the other side is right on the borders of the union . No one goes there either. Here, in the safety of your territories, it was free to gather strength and prepare."
The Uther grunted, signaling his agreement.
"That makes sense, but why didn't it leave with the Chali ships?" Naima chipped in. "It could have flown to the trader worlds, gather an even larger army."
"Too risky," Braen said with a shrug. "You have to keep in mind, it has developed fast after its last death. That takes energy. It easily overpowered Sinetha, yet it wouldn't risk the entire fleet coming to rip it to pieces.
“As powerful as the Fearless is, it couldn't take chances like that. Time was a factor for us, but for the enemy as well. It let Sinetha draw us nearer, allowing her to think she still had a way out. I believe she's long dead now. We both know we only have one chance at this. The loser loses forever and the victor keeps the win for all eternity."
Knowing that meant her, Naima sent him a soft, sad look. It pained Braen to look upon her, so fragile and unshielded against the storm that raged above her head. Still, he admired her spirit and couldn't bring himself to deny her the chance to fight the enemy that wanted to destroy their love, their bond and their future.#p#分页标题#e#
He thought of their child, too. The life growing in Naima's belly, waiting for them to set the galaxy right before being born. A child who perhaps would become an even greater warrior than he was…
The general pushed those emotions down. Time for battle had arrived and nothing distracted a Brion in war, not before he had achieved the victory for all of them.
"Does everyone know their tasks?" he asked. "I will head straight for the Fearless, hidden in the Chali mothership. Alona and Naima will try to disengage the android army. My warriors will keep the androids at bay while Stomech handles the approaching Chali fleet. It has the unfortunate timing of the Chali – arriving exactly when they are least welcome."
There were affirmatives all around.
Braen was about to turn from the screen they had gathered around when he heard the slight hitch of Naima’s breath before her mouth opened. When she screamed, he’d already crossed the distance to her, grabbing her in his arms just as she collapsed, panting for air.
His heart now constricted in his chest, while adrenaline pounded through his veins. It was like he’d been struck by a blade, seeing his gesha’s face in shock and pain.
"What is it, my heart?" he asked, his voice rough from fury at the enemy showing no honor by waiting for its true opponent.
"The Fearless," Naima whispered. "I – I only saw a single image. I think it wanted me to. Braen, the androids. There are thousands. Tens of thousands."
Of all the news she could have given, the general counted that one the best. She seemed to be relaxing in his arms and along with her breath calming, so did Braen’s.
Stomech was looking on with that trademark glower of his, only slightly deeper than it usually was.
Naima frowned, seeing the widening smile on Braen’s lips as the room around them slowly turned red. The battle hormones were rushing through his body, beating him up to meet the monster head-on at last.
"It's trying to scare you and distract me," he told his fated, raising his voice so everyone in the room could hear him. "It is a sign of weakness. Positions, everyone! To war!"
33
Naima
It was her first war.
Didn’t think I’d ever see one.
Naima stood in the hangar of the Benevolent, observing the bustling preparations for the battle with a very peculiar calm. Brions had had an effect on her, it seemed, because she certainly wasn't born with an inclination towards the chaos of conflict.
Waiting for Alona and Kerven to finish checking the safety protocols of their dropship – under the watchful eyes of a dozen warriors, ready to report everything to Braen – Naima guessed at the reason of her relaxation.
One was the general, of course, coming towards her with fast, purposeful strides, looking every bit the part of a galactic warlord. He was dressed head to toe in his battle gear, the valor squares on his neck pulsing some sort of sound that Naima couldn't fully comprehend.
It made every warrior he passed stand straighter and on guard, at least that's how it appeared. The hefty spear on his back was quietly gleaming as well, the lifestone embedded into it as ready as its master was.
The other reason, a more logical and considerably older one, was Naima herself. She'd thought she wasn't fit for war, but that was because she had been comparing herself to Brions. No one was their equal and she certainly didn't want to be. She possessed a clear mind of a different kind.
On Matthos IV, Naima had been the one who dared to go into the ocean, to take it on without question. Janey did too, but every inch of her spoke of disdain and reluctance. She walked to the deck like she was going to her execution and every time they emerged from the pitch black water, the younger scientist had looked like she'd seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
Naima, on the other hand, had been able to force down the natural unease. Just like with the battle to come, the waiting was considerably worse. Moving, actively doing something was so much better than sitting around and letting the world happen around her.
This is just another dive, she told herself. Only instead of the dark ocean, there is a clear field of ice and snow and rocks. The darkness comes from the enemy.
In full battle readiness, Braen didn't give her any speech. The general caught her in his embrace, kissing her like it might be their last time, which Naima knew was still an option despite all the reassurances. His lips were soft and demanding, his tongue pulling hers into a fierce play for dominance. She answered by biting gently and heard the general groan appreciatively in return.#p#分页标题#e#
It was too amazing. At that moment, Naima was very ready to convert to whatever the Brions believed in. Simply because time and time again the general had stated that the fates would not bring them together to tear them apart like that, so soon after getting everything they ever wanted.
The despair in her wanted to rise, but she pushed it down with all her might.
Naima smiled broadly when they broke for air.
“It will be alright,” she said, speaking before Braen could.
I will not send him off to war with the last image of me crying my eyes out. Also, what the hell. I'm sending my man to a battle for my sake, what am I, a medieval princess? I really should have found a handkerchief or something similarly silly to wave with.
"We're ready to go," she said before Braen could ask her for the final time if she'd rather not stay behind. "Kerven will look after me, don't worry. If everything goes according to plan, the Fearless will never even know I was there. It will be focused on you, it can't spare time to look for me. It doesn't think I'm a threat."
Braen raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a mixture of love and passion and something she could only call amusement.