Alien General's Beloved (Brion Brides 6)(6)

"An executioner," Soren had repeated in the arena where they dueled.

That was a lie in itself. Corden hadn't had a real duel in years.

"Yes," the general had said simply.

It felt good, to finally share his true purpose with another living soul. The Elders had not sworn him to secrecy, but Corden chose to keep it so nonetheless. People talked. And each and every general had someone they could trust on each other's ships. Corden knew that, because he most certainly did. So rumors got around very quickly.

To have someone like General Faren or Diego Grothan get even a whiff of what he was... Corden smiled. It would be interesting, and he hated to be bored.

"Executioner of generals?" Soren had asked, the disbelief plain in his voice.

"It sounds crazy when you say it like that," Corden had answered with a grin.

"Well, sir, it is."

"I suppose so," Corden agreed. "Maybe the term isn't the best, but it's close enough."

"But, why?" Soren asked. "We are Brion. We don't rebel. Why would you be needed?"

"You know as well as I do that's not true," Corden said, letting the warning edge of reprimand slip into his voice. "There are plenty of examples."

"So you... spy on the other generals?"

"That's not exactly true either," Corden said. "I study them. I find weaknesses, learn their tactics and their ways. I teach myself to fight against their particular styles. And of course I keep an eye on the future generals, too."

"And if you find someone who is a danger to the Brions?"

"I will take them out."

Soren had thought for a moment then. "And the current generals? Do you think any of them is a danger?"

"No."

Soren had looked at him, frowning.

"Really? Not even the Monster of Briolina?"

"Really. The potential to be a danger is not the same as actually being one."

They'd talked some more until Corden was satisfied that Soren knew what he expected from him. The captain was still shocked, he could see that. That was good as well. He'd needed someone like that. Loyal, clever, but not too intelligent.

Soren was a fair tactician and a considerable warrior, capable of putting his personal feelings aside when it came to duty. It made him a perfect second, but never a leader. As for the intelligence—the surprise had proved Corden right. It baffled the captain that the Elders wouldn't trust fifteen generals at the head of fifteen world-conquering armies without question. Not a thinker, then.#p#分页标题#e#

That was what Corden was. He took people apart in his mind, bit by bit, so when the time came, he could break them. He had. It was a while ago now, but he had already done his duty once.

So when he wasn't sure what the Abysmal was capable of, it showed something. He made sure Soren understood that. Brions weren't that great at keeping their history. It was one of the worst things about them, Corden had found. Their history was mostly oral and they relied heavily on their Elders, who kept the common knowledge alive in their connected cryo sleep. It meant the specifics were easy to lose.

Like, the general thought, how they used to build the warships.

The Abysmal was a product of a long-gone age, merely a distant cousin of the Claw. The fifteen ships that comprised the Brion fleet right now were brothers, functioning more or less in the same way. General Worgen's ship was a mystery. One he needed to solve before he could take action.

Corden left his own flagship under the command of Captain Soren and made his way to the enemy alone, taking his personal fighter. He hoped their design hadn't changed much over the years or he'd be blown to pieces before he ever saw his opponent.

Getting aboard the Abysmal proved much more difficult than locating it. Impossible, in fact.



***



Good news and bad news, Corden thought, looking at the ancient warship from his pilot seat in the fighter.

The good was that the fighters looked much the same back in the day as they did now. Made sense—their function remained the same after all. So everyone took him for one more fighter in the fleet. The bad was that nothing got in the Abysmal without a checkup. Worgen was being careful. Every fighter returning to the warship hovered near the landing bays before being allowed in. Corden assumed they were being scanned.

That meant he had to find another way in. It wouldn't do to get discovered like that. He was too much of an easy target in the fighter. Face to face with the enemy, that's how he felt safe.

No matter. He'd board one of the ships held hostage and find a way to get on the Abysmal. Corden waited, watching the smaller vessels move in between the fleet. Most of the ships were Terran, like the reports had said. That much seemed to be true. Worgen was looking for his fated and was under the impression that human women were fit for generals.

Corden couldn't argue with that, but unlike the enemy, he wasn't sure it was that simple.

There was one particular ship that the fighters seemed to guard most thoroughly. It was a small carrier, equipped with guns. Something a trader would use when they ventured into more dangerous parts of the galaxy.

The Raptor it would be then.

Unlike the Abysmal, the little ship had no issues with permitting him entrance. Corden frowned. That spoke of fear, not to be questioned. He didn't even ask to be let in. The bay doors simply opened when he approached and the general guided his fighter in. He landed, but didn't get out immediately. Through the screens, he observed the deck for a while.

If the crew thought it weird he didn't exit, they refused to let it show. Everyone kept working. And all of the crew members were women. Corden noticed humans and Palians, a few Fremmas even, but they were all definitely female.

And they were clearly afraid.

As you should be, Corden thought, this is not a fight you want to be in.

The general waited until there were no Brion patrols in the bay before exiting. With the ease of confidence, he walked out of the bay without rush, drawing looks but no protests. Once he got out of sight of the crew, he disappeared. Hours later someone finally started to ask questions about the fighter, but Corden remained hidden.

His Brion blood called to action, but for the first hours, he simply observed, perched high up under the ceiling. It provided a good vantage point, to hide between the pipes and ledges, carefully balancing on them, hidden in the shadows. He found a lot of things moving around like that—for example, the human females hidden in several locations around the ship.

The idea was good, the general had to admit. They'd launched the emergency escape pods, hiding them right on the ship's exterior. Hidden in cover, held tight to the ship with magnetic locks, they almost looked like a part of the ship itself. Corden allowed himself a small smirk, seeing that on his quick trip outside of the Raptor, stealing a suit for the purpose.

He saw Worgen's men too, the sight of them making his skin crawl. Once, maybe, they'd been Brions like him, brothers and sisters. Now, they were nothing but shells, ghosts of their former selves. Corden could see the damage the years had done to them. The valor squares gave them away more firmly than the emptiness in their eyes. There was no life, no fire. They'd seen something that he couldn't even imagine and it had broken them.#p#分页标题#e#

And above all, he saw the ship's beautiful captain, Lana. She was everywhere, sleeping only a few hours, then returning to her duties. Her blue eyes, hidden under the curtain of her long lashes, caught his attention the moment he first saw the captain. Corden found his eyes focused on her flawless, gorgeous body, his gaze wandering hungrily over her curvy form. The uniform she wore hid her body from him, but it fit skintight, leaving him with the delicious task of undressing her with his eyes.

The captain's long, brown curly hair fell over her shoulders and Corden barely resisted the urge to bury his face in the silk of it. A couple of times Lana walked by him so closely that he could smell her scent, fresh and sweet and maddening like nothing he'd ever known before.

She was a feisty one, too. Corden watched her attempts at rebellion, as futile as they were. It was clear that hiding the women was her idea, but she also tried to spare the rest of her crew. She had them all working together to protect each other, taking shifts to guard and to deliver supplies to those who were hiding.

That last part was the problematic one. Corden admired Lana's willingness to put her own safety on the line, but it was getting foolhardy. He decided it was better to warn her that she'd be caught. And he could no longer resist the desire to be near her, talk to her. The woman had him under some spell and he loved it. She made his blood boil, his heart beat. She made him hunger.

He waited until she was alone, on her way to see her crew again, before revealing himself to her. The surprise in her eyes was obvious, but Corden didn't miss the flash of lust.

The general didn't miss the hope either, one he was willing to meet. Their goal was the same.

"You mean to kill him?" the captain asked, her soft voice filled with expectation.

"A man like that can't be allowed to live," Corden said honestly.

"And you're the one to stop him?" Lana asked.

Corden grinned. "I will, once the opportunity comes."

The captain seemed to think that over. Corden let her, enjoying simply looking at her, the way her chest rose and fell in rhythm with her calm breathing. She was a fighter—he liked that about her. Not many people managed to be strong in the face of an enemy they couldn't hope to beat.