***
The fighter landed smoothly in Ilotra's main hangar.
Aria felt nervous, despite herself. She was living in interesting times, as the old curse said. The Galactic union had ruled the known and explored universe in relative peace for hundreds of years. It had to be the year she came to work there that an actual war broke out. The intelligent, vicious Clayors had been a problem for decades, but their active aggression came as a surprise to everyone.
It was an unpleasant one for most. Brions, however, seemed to almost be enjoying themselves. After being the bad guys for so long, the grin on the collective face of the bloodthirsty species was unmistakably wide when the GU came to ask for their help.
The main council had called for someone to consult and advise them. They'd meant an elderly warrior or someone else with not much to do. Expertise—and tact—was called for, so the council could be assisted in making important decisions.
The Brions sent them a general.
Aria suspected it was something of a practical joke, only it wasn't funny in the slightest. En route, the general had been informed of the war efforts so far. He'd sent back a curt message that didn't translate very well from the complicated, ever-changing Brionese. It was quite obvious what he thought of the union 's attempts, however. Aria knew he wouldn't be in a great mood.
And it fell to her to break the news to him as gently as she could.
All of that was immediately washed from Aria's mind when the doors slid open and General Ryden emerged.
She'd thought she was prepared, honestly. The rumors of the Brion men were legendary, after all. They weren't even allowed on Terra.
Apparently meeting Brion ambassadors hadn't desensitized her one bit to the warriors.
General Ryden made her feel like she had only been given eyes for the purpose of seeing him.
Tall and powerful, he was the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. Aria barely reached his broad, muscular shoulders. He walked with confidence that said he had no equal, the sheer presence of him taking her breath away.
Aria had wondered before what the man would look like, and she had her answer. He looked like the commander of a warship so huge it had to approach celestial bodies with care. Aria also noted he looked like he wrestled bears for a workout. Or maybe merely for fun.
His bright green eyes settled on her at once, catching her in the intense gaze that nearly toppled her. The general was a massive walking powerhouse of a warrior, an ancient, ever-lasting image of a real man. He drew the looks of everyone in the hangar with ease; he was the center of attention as naturally as he breathed.
She remained standing only with great effort. Her mouth watered, hungry for him with an intensity she had never felt before, honestly scaring her a little. Aria's entire body demanded that she throw herself at him and beg to be fucked until she couldn't walk, while her mind was screaming at her to be professional for God’s sake.
All her life Aria had thought herself better than falling for a guy that easily, but there she was, being proven all wrong.
Her Brionese was usually pretty good for a human. Only right then, under the burning gaze of the general, Aria desperately searched for even a single word.
"Err," she finally said. "Hi."#p#分页标题#e#
It was the most informal and disrespectful term for hello in the Brionese language, as she realized a second later.
The general gave her a look that Aria couldn't entirely interpret.
"I'm so sorry, General," she hastened to add, desperate to make amends before her treacherous body fucked up any more of her carefully put-together effort to seem like she knew what she was doing. "You caught me off guard. I am Ambassador Aria Harris of Terra. The council has bid me to welcome you to Ilotra."
Way to establish authority, she thought bitterly.
She had expected the general would hurt her for the insult she unwittingly gave, but instead the man still looked at her.
"You have no reason to be afraid," he said.
Aria felt her legs buckle. Brion men had a naturally deep voice, but she suddenly longed to hear the general speak more. It didn't matter what he would have said, as long as he kept talking in that sultry, sexy voice that made her tremble. Hopefully not visibly.
What is wrong with me? she thought, he's not that hot! Okay, so he is, but that is no reason to be quivering before him! Who even quivers? I don't think any woman has done that since the eighteenth century.
"I do not fear," she lied.
A small, slight grin appeared on the general's lips. It was the single most maddening thing Aria had ever seen. Her composure was slipping so fast she could feel it. She didn't ask for much. All she'd wanted was to approach the Brion general, say her piece, and walk away with dignity.
Well, so much for that. Pride she had already given up on. Pride had remembered its vacation days and packed its bags. Pride was long out of the door, but she'd be damned if she let dignity follow it out.
The smile on General Ryden's face was pushing her control to the limits, though. It softened his otherwise harsh features, bringing forth a devastating spirit that Aria felt drawn to.
"Yes, you do," the general said. "Don't bother with lying, even if it comes naturally to your kind. You can't hide fear from a Brion."
That was probably true, but Aria felt her temper rising.
"What do you mean 'your kind'?" she asked, forgetting to address him properly.
"Ambassadors. Politicians."
The words sounded like curses on the general's tongue. Aria realized that her own animosity toward rough, rash brutes was answered by a man who hated schemers and liars.
Oh, this will be a fun task.
She took a deep breath, trying to take hold of herself. No matter what the Brion thought, she was still an ambassador and she had a job to do. No unbelievably hot hunk of a warlord could tell her different. She only hoped he couldn't read her attraction as easily as he read her fear.
"General," she tried again. "I understand you've been told of our efforts to coordinate this war."
Ryden's expression turned thunderous in an instant.
"For your own good, I hope those clumsy, ill-advised schemes weren't your actual efforts."
Funny how a voice so sexy can say such dickish things.
"With all due respect, General," she said, praying that her anger didn't edge into her tone. "We do not have the military training you do."
"I am aware," Ryden said, an arrogant smile on his lips. "That is why I'm here. You shouldn't have tried to act without my word."
He's unbelievable. I mean, what an unbelievable jerk. I don’t care how damn sultry his eyes are.
Aria wondered what would be the odds of her not yelling "I told you so!" into Ambassador Sota's face the next time she saw him. The general was a typical Brion. She saw no way to reason with him, even if what he said sort of made sense.
"There is one more thing," she made herself say. "It might be possible this doesn't have to come to a full war."
The change was instant. She hadn't realized the general had been at ease before he drew himself up to his full height, towering over her with such ferocity in his eyes that she took a step back.
"I told you not to fear," the general boomed. "There has been a development. You should have told me that first."
Aria considered protesting since the matter wasn't urgent, but bit her lip. No good ever came from arguing with a Brion.
She tried to mimic the precise, short speech she knew the Brions preferred when dealing with military matters.
"The Clayors sent ambassadors of their own," she said. "They want to negotiate. They're saying it's not them attacking us, but a small extremist part of their army."#p#分页标题#e#
Everything happened very quickly after that. The look of surprise on Ryden's face would have been enjoyable in any other moment. Before she could react, Aria found herself dragged along by the general's strong arm around her waist. A small whine escaped her lips, enjoying being in his arms despite the apparent danger and the complete lack of dignity in being carted around like that.
"Take me to them," the general ordered, "at once."
"Why?" Aria demanded. "Of course you can meet them, but we don't have to rush—"
The general turned to his men and barked short orders to them. Aria understood only fragments of it, but there was something about danger, attack, and reinforcements.
"You don't negotiate with Clayors," Ryden growled, pulling her along. "You might have destroyed Ilotra in one day."
"But—"
"You let yourself be fooled. They don't have factions. They don't have extremists. The Clayors are a hive mind."
CHAPTER FIVE
Aria
Aria wanted to protest against that ridiculous accusation, but the look on the man's face told her he wasn't joking. And the Brions knew the enemy better than anyone. He had no reason to lie.
Oh God, please no, she thought. Please make him wrong.
She'd thought hive minds were a myth, something out of fiction, but Brions weren't known to joke about war. Their sense of humor was morbid as hell, but it didn't come into play when they were in actual danger.
Aria's sense of justice was at war with itself. She hadn't honestly thought that she could stop the general from doing things his way, but not even in her worst nightmares could she have predicted everything falling apart in two minutes. So far, the general confirmed all her fears. The man was the living embodiment of shoot first and ask questions later, but if he was right... God, if he was right, there would be no one left to judge their choices.