Sawoot laughs bitterly.
“Long story short? She wasn’t – and she quickly found out that no woman can compete with an Aurelian’s desire to find that one human woman capable of bearing theirs sons. They treated her kindly… but she became just one more woman in their collection, and they ceaselessly sought out more. That’s ultimately why she left. You can’t be in an Aurelian harem if you’re the jealous type – because unless you’re that triad’s Fated Mate, you’ll never be enough for them all by yourself.”
I ponder her words.
How horrible would that be? To join a harem in the hopes of being somebody special to those Aurelians… and instead finding yourself relegated to just another plaything among so many others. Just another warm, sucking mouth and tight little hole for the triad to enjoy whenever they deigned that it was your turn. A woman who falls in love with an Aurelian is foolish indeed.
But a woman who was Bonded to a triad? Well, that could be a smart choice – the smartest choice. Anyone offered that possibility should take it.
I remember what Sawoot had told me about the Bond, and I considered the opportunity in the context of my own hardscrabble life.
For a start, as the Fated Mate of a triad, your lifespan would be greatly extended – to the same thousands of years at the Aurelians you’re Bonded with.
Dealing with a trio of aliens obsessed over you would probably become easy after the first hundred years or so – especially given that the alternative is death.
Sawoot sits there silently, watching me ponder this information.
After a few moments, she licks her lips, her nervousness showing.
“Well, Captain – spanking or not; how are you going to get us out of here?”
The question has no hint of sarcasm to it. Despite being imprisoned in the brig of a warship, separated from the rest of her crew, and being completely unarmed in a midst of a fully-manned Aurelian battalion, Sawoot still has faith that I’ll come up with a plan to get us out of this mess.
I appreciate her faith – Gods know I do – and it’s not entirely unfounded. I mean, I’ve gotten us out of tight spots before…
…but the deck of cards has never been so stacked against me before.
I turn to her and force myself to smile.
“I’m working on it,” I promise. “I just need to figure out Captain Aelon and his triad first. He holds all the power. If we want to get out of here with our skins intact, we need to get the better of him.”
But Aelon had justification for being so cocky and arrogant. He was clearly a brilliant, cunning commander and a fearsome warrior. Getting the better of him would not be easy – if it was possible at all.
“I need to find out what motivates him,” I tell Sawoot, “because it sure as hell isn’t loyalty to the Aurelian Empire – and that might be the key to getting ourselves out of this.”
I tap my fingers against the edge of the bunk as my mind works on the problem. Keeping my mind occupied is the easiest way to forget the spanking I’m destined to endure.
The spanking – it still fills me with anger more than humiliation or fear.
It’s sadistic. Aelon wants to humiliate me in front of my entire crew. He wants to break down any respect they might possibly still have for me – erasing the years of progress I’d made with each of my crew in one, fell swoop.
The thought of being thrown over Captain Aelon’s lap like an unruly wench, as he spanks me with all the dominance of a haughty, horny Aurelian warrior, makes a shiver run down my spine.
I shift on the bunk, and the scant padding of the mattress isn’t the only reason I suddenly feel uncomfortable.
Then I realize there’s another angle to all this – one I hadn’t considered earlier.
I look up at Sawoot – suddenly filled with concern not just for me, but for my entire crew.
“We might be in more danger than we think,” I warn.
“We might? How so?”
“Think about it,” I tell her. “Those Toads knew we had a fortune in Orbs hidden in our cargo hold. This ship – The Instigator – has Orbs powering its weapons and Orb-Drive. Small shard of Orbs are even in each of the weapons those Aurelians carry- their Orb-Blades.”
“Yeah, so?”
I lean closer to Sawoot.
“The Instigator is just one, single ship in the blackness of space. A big, powerful, well-armed ship, sure – but we’re alone, and far away from the Aurelian Empire. For the right people, with the right backing, even a battleship like this could be a juicy target.”
“You’re nuts,” Sawoot shakes her head. “You saw how many las-cannons this thing has! How many Reavers it sent out to that moon’s surface.”
“True,” I nod, “but think about it. That Toad Captain might come back – with a lot more than just three assault ships next time.”
Sawoot bites her lip. Her sudden nervousness confirms that I’m onto something, and my scenario is more than just idle worry.
“You really think the Toads would come back? You know those cowards don’t like to pick fair fights – and, as I said, you saw how many las-canons and missile batteries this ship has…”
“…but it wouldn’t be a fair fight,” I warn. I lean in. “This is how I would do it...”
I trace invisible lines on the floor, outlining the strategy I’d employ if I had the same resources as that Toad Captain might have access to.
“First off, I’d wait until the Aurelians leave for the day to clear the Scorp nests on that moon. That removes almost all the active Reavers from the loading bay, and almost all the soldiers and crew.”
Sawoot nods – that much makes sense.
“Next, I’d send a strike team to the mining camps on Tarrion that The
