The Warrior's Pet(49)

She hated the way she was viewed by Kagan's commanders. Sure she didn't have all the answers, but she had some and a viable perspective. If any one of the other warriors had pointed out what she did, the men would've instantly agreed.

Giselle tried not to get frustrated with them or Kagan. He had the weight of not just everyone's life on his shoulders but he had to maintain authority and respect.

"Ugh" Giselle tossed her head back into the side of the tent. She sat there with her eyes closed and tried to clear her mind.

"What is wrong my pet." Kagan's deep voice washed over her.

"Just thinking how complicated life is." Giselle replied.

She couldn't help but smile. Kagan's voice and his scent did something to her, it was like a drug making her desperate for more. Giselle didn't open her eyes as she took him in. She wanted to drowned out everything but her and Kagan. That would simplify things. Alone they fit well together in so many ways.

Kagan's scent increased until Giselle felt strong arms wrapping around her and lifting her up. Giselle turned into his chest and started kissing his collarbone. She liked the mildly salty, ginger sweet flavor mixed with his musky smoky scent.

"Jeezelle we are not alone." Kagan said as her hand drifted up to play with his ear.

Giselle finally opened her eyes to find Dagaa standing beside Kagan looking at her in amusement.

"Let him watch." Giselle said cheekily.

"Jeezelle!" Kagan growled.

"Easy big guy I'm teasing."

"Jeezelle we have some questions for you." Kagan said as he sat her down inside the tent.

"Okay." Giselle had a feeling that there were many things that needed to be discussed.

"How much do you know of waging battle?" Kagan started.

Giselle thought for a minute. She'd never been in the military but she knew what she'd expressed was sound advice. She didn't know what she should say. She didn't want to jeopardize that truth in their eyes by saying the wrong thing and leading them to think she was ignorant on the matter. These men were warriors, it seemed to be the primary occupation of the Cadi locked in the vicious civil war, yet their tactics didn't scream such even if their advanced weaponry did.

"Answer a few questions and I will tell you what I know." Giselle began tentatively. "How long have your people been at war against each other?"

"A few centuries now." Kagan shook his head in disgust.

"On my planet in my region we had a nasty civil war that pitted families against themselves. It only lasted a handful of years but even at that the devastation was awful. How was your society before?" Giselle couldn't imagine a civil war that lasted for hundreds of years. That would explain why the Cadi people were so entrenched in their war.

"We were an advanced race. We were exploring the universe and meeting a few of the races among the stars. That is what separated out people initially. Some did not believe we should put our resources towards such endeavors."

"And before the civil war did you have other wars among yourselves?" Giselle inquired trying to compare them to the experiences of Earth.

"No" Dagaa shook his head. "We were a united people and had been for countless millennium."

"Ah okay. So my people were not so. We had only begun to travel in space, having only visited our moon and sent unmanned probes to other close planets. We did not have much of your more advanced technology. However from day to day we use more technology, for small things. Where you cook and heat with fire, we use machines for example."

"Yes, from what I understand we were once that way too. In the last few centuries many resources have gone towards the war effort. We've only held onto the things we desperately needed like ships and comms. The war has taken much from us." Kagan waved his hand about.

"When I first arrived, I thought you were some odd mash up of some ancient and futuristic race. This explains it. War does this, stripping a people of everything." Giselle nodded in understanding. "My people however are sadly accustomed to war. Even now I imagine numerous portions of my planet are squabbling. Where your people knew peace for thousands of years before your civil war, we fought. Over thousands of years we have learned many tactics."

Giselle never considered herself a warrior and yet she apparently came from a race of people that had battle each other for so long that it had become entrenched into her make-up somehow.

"How much do you know about these methods?" Kagan asked in interest.

"Well I have never led anyone into battle if that's what you are asking." Giselle laughed. "I studied history which I guess pathetically enough was more a history of conquest." Giselle felt disgusted as she thought of how much the history books concentrated on the dates and names of those who subjugated other races. She'd never really thought of it like that till now. "Your methods, the way you position your men in battle, is much like we did in the old days. You tend to form densely packed lines on a narrow front. It allows for easy decimation of the front line."