Lana hesitated. That was only fair, she supposed. “So what happened? What explanation can you give that doesn't make what you did to Dax sound monstrous?”
“None, because it was,” Belix said simply. At Lana's surprised look she rolled her eyes. “You think it's possible for any rational person to live away from their own people for over seven years and not get an outsider's perspective? Some glimpse at the flaws of the society they grew up in that they weren't even aware of, or at least didn't stop to consider, while living in it?”
She hesitated even longer, surprised by that idea. “I thought Ishivi were superior to everyone else.”
“Genetically,” the elfin woman stressed, then shrugged. “Culturally? We might have blind spots. Even superior beings can fall victim to arrogance and confirmation bias.”
A slightly uncomfortable silence settled while Lana waited for Belix to explain her side of things. Finally, the other woman took a deep breath, then began slowly. “The concept of royalty is barbaric and outdated, but it comes close to describing my circumstances. Near flawless genetics among people renowned for their superior DNA . . . each of my ova is worth more than most luxury skiffs. An impeccable upbringing as the scion of one of the wealthiest and most influential people in our society. I was a princess among the Ishivi.”
Her expression clouded with pain, possibly even grief or sorrow. “Then, due to circumstances completely outside our control, my siblings and I were forced into exile. It was only the kindness of a friend that saw me and Barix invited aboard the Last Stand, barely a step ahead of the people hunting us to harvest our DNA now that we were outside the protection of Ishivi law.”
In spite of her feelings about what Belix had done to Dax, Lana found herself listening raptly; the twins almost never talked about themselves or their past, and it was a painful subject for the weapons officer so she'd avoided asking him. But even knowing the sad end to this story, it was all fascinating.
The elfin woman abruptly barked out a laugh, smiling with equal parts fondness and bitterness. “Imagine a naive girl, barely a woman, who's lived a sheltered life and suddenly finds herself cast out into a dangerous and uncertain universe. Taking refuge on a ship captained by a handsome war hero, even if he was on the wrong side of the war . . . although maybe I found him more intriguing because of that.”
She sighed, and it sounded a bit wistful. “It was almost like some silly full immersion fantasy . . . the princess and the haunted war veteran turned pirate. He was honorable and brave, and undeniably dashing and gallant. Handsome, of course, and he cut a rugged figure in his uniform. Older, and supposedly wiser, and incredibly talented and confident, with just enough hint of danger to make a young woman swoon. And perhaps most romantic of all, in spite of the futility of his war against the evil enemy he refused to give it up, no matter if it ended in his death.”
Belix laughed again, seeming even more conflicted. “I can barely stand to look at him now, but even so it's hard not to get wet just talking about the fairytale hero he seemed to be.” She hesitated, then grudgingly added, “in many ways actually is.”
She grimaced while admitting that, quickly continuing. “He was equally entranced by me, of course, and it was only natural we'd fall into one of the most passionate romances the universe has ever seen. My toes still curl just thinking of some of the nights we shared. And the days. And everything in between.”
“What happened?” Lana asked quietly, unable to imagine how things could turn so wrong if they'd started out so well.
The elfin woman jumped, as if she'd almost forgotten she was there. “We were all on the run back then. Hunted in every spaceport, skulking for contracts and opportunities while trying not to get recognized. Taking Deek ships as prizes and scrambling to salvage their parts and find buyers. But even in spite of the hardship, I was happy, which caused me to be more generous than I might have been.”
She looked away, her bittersweet smile becoming fully bitter. “Our biggest challenge was crew, or lack of it. The Captain had been so desperate to hire us in the first place because after constant attrition he'd just lost a couple of his original Stags in a single fight, and a few others had deserted, or at least left with his blessing.
“Being the besotted girl I was, and seeing his need for crew, I decided his genetics were good enough to be worthy of joining with mine. I would give him a chance to produce an Ishivi child of superior genetics with me, and until we created one that met our people's standards I'd alter the unsatisfactory ones into constructs to aid with crewing the ship.”
Belix quickly glanced Lana's way, looking slightly guilty. “It was a perfectly reasonable and Ishivi decision for me at the time. I was still used to thinking like the rest of my people, far more so than I do now, and it didn't even occur to me that he might not know enough about Ishivi to understand what I was suggesting, when I offered to create constructs to crew the Last Stand. Especially given how, ah, enthusiastically he donated his genetic material.”
She fell silent, as if reluctant to continue. “He told me he was furious when he learned the truth,” Lana said gently.
“His anger wasn't even the worst thing about it.” The elfin woman pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them, voice coming out muffled. “Imagine you sincerely believed you were falling in love with a man, and you'd just offered him the greatest gift one of your kind could offer. Even more so for women than for men, because
