Victorious Star (21 page)

Ravnos remained at the bottom of the steps as they boarded. “You are to come back in one piece.” He turned his stare on Seht. “Both of you. That’s an order.”

Seht nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The door spiraled closed.

Seht led Victoria to a blank wall at the very front of the
barque.
He pressed his palm in the center. Without a word spoken, the entire ship hummed to life. Mimetic walls shivered, oozed, then formed into doorways, counters and cabinets. Terminals and controls appeared from behind thick glazing. A round doorway appeared under his palm.

Seht smiled. “Welcome to the
Raptor.”
He ducked into the doorway, tugging his impossibly wide cape behind him.

Victoria followed him into the cockpit. Two piloting couches sat side by side, with a huge viewing screen occupying the entire nose above the control panels.

Seht gestured to the couch on her right.

She took a seat, lounged back and buckled in. From the looks of the controls arrayed around her, the
barque
could be flown mechanically, but she would never willingly be a passenger on any ship that was flown cold.

Seht buckled into the other chair and activated a holographic terminal. “I’m activating piloting and uploading the language program to you. Knowing the language will also come in handy when we are ensconced amongst my relatives.”

Victoria felt the couch hum, then a sudden grab at the back of her head as the ship connected to her piloting array. However, the data that pressured her for attention was utterly incomprehensible.
Language barrier,
she guessed. She felt the shimmer of information and relaxed into the data, letting the new language slip into her memory and fill in the gaps as needed.

Information bloomed and functions became accessible. Understandable queries began to come from Seht’s terminal. She relayed data as she acquired it.

“Excellent, a quick integration,” Seht said with approval.

Victoria discovered only a touch of ship-memory. Instead, she assimilated the
barque’s
functions. Rather than the pilot plugging onto the ship, as normally happened on the larger capitol dreadnoughts, the
barque
plugged into the pilot. Information shimmered through her array and interconnected with her nervous system until she could see through the
barque’s
optics as though they were her own eyes, and feel everything the ship perceived through its sensors. She sighed with delight as the
Raptor
literally became an extension of her body.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Seht said from far away.

Victoria barely felt the smile on her face. “It feels wonderful.”

“So I gathered.”

All too soon, the engines came fully online.

A tug towed the
Raptor
to the air-locked bay holding the small super-conductor that generated the anti-grav field. The blast-doors closed, air-locking them in. The warning klaxon went off and anti-grav increased, wafting the
barque
lightly from the deck plates.

Victoria retracted the landing gear without bothering to think about it, and engaged the stabilizers, so as not to float aimlessly in the zero gravity. It seemed as though she floated, rather than the
barque.
She knew it was only data being processed through her nervous system and interpreted by her imagination but it felt so breathlessly real.

The upper doors opened.

She activated the
Raptor’s
quantum-reality jump-field to pass from the
Hellsbreath’s
disguised position. Energy radiated from the skin of the
barque,
enfolding the
Raptor
in a tingling cocoon.

The klaxon went off again and anti-grav increased. Between one breath and the next, the
Raptor
lifted from the
Hellsbreath.

An ocean of stars, hard, cold and brilliant, filled her internal sight with the hard dark curve of the moon under the broad body of the shimmering
Hellsbreath
beneath them. She could feel the whisper of the
Hellsbreath’s
slightly altered reality as though she were pushing through the velvety folds of an invisible cloak.

She looked in the direction of the moon’s horizon, and powered the advance drive to seven. Within moments the dark side of the moon was behind her. Free of the moon, she released the jump-field. To any casual observer, it would appear as though the
barque
had suddenly leapt into the star system.

The Raptor coasted across the upper swells of gravity waves that slowly undulated outward from the moon, and headed for the night-dark planet expanding in her view. She pushed for speed, chasing the planet’s terminator line, where day met night and
Mordred
station floated, orbiting in the planet’s moment of sunset.

Space is unimaginably vast. What seemed only a short distance would in fact take several hours.

Inundated with the
Raptor’s
comfortingly precise data, Victoria allowed her body to drift into what amounted to a light sleep. She rested, while her mind remained perfectly alert and perfectly in tune within the steady stream of computations and the ocean of stars around her.

“Of course not.” Victoria smiled, incredibly relaxed. “I’m a pilot.”

“Why, so you are.”

Warmth, pressure… Victoria snapped back into connection with her physical body and opened her eyes to discover that Seht was sitting on her, straddling her thighs. He was damned heavy with all that armor on.

She raised a brow. “I am trying to fly the ship.” She had not lost her connection to the sensors, but it was painfully distracting to have her attention divided. She shifted carefully under him. His suit was edged; a sudden wrong move would hurt -- a lot. Thank Fate his inner thigh plates were smooth, unlike his edged outer legs.

He smiled and leaned forward with his armored forearms against the couch’s broad back to either side of her head. His cape enveloped her in the scent of warm silk, metal, fur and aroused male. His breath was warm in her ear. “Am I interfering with the ship’s functions?”

“Ship’s functions at normal.” She winced. As long as she was linked to the ship’s sentience she was physically unable to state anything other than the absolute truth. “Must you sit on me?”

“I wanted your complete attention.” He shifted closer, until he straddled her hips.

“Okay, you have my attention.” Victoria could feel his crotch pressed intimately against hers. Suddenly he had her libido’s attention too.

“Excellent. First order of business, you are forbidden to use spoken communication of any kind.”

Victoria felt a shimmer in her augmentation.
What?
Her lips formed the words, but not a sound came out of her mouth.
The collar!
She grabbed for her throat.
He gave me a direct order and the collar is enforcing it!

“You don’t know my language well enough to speak it, and there’s a distinct Imperial accent to your ship-standard. The instant you utter a word, you’ll give yourself away.” He smiled. “However, I have no wish to deny myself the delicious sound of your sighs and moans, so you may utter any sound that does not involve speech.”

Son of a bitch!
Victoria would have banged her head against the back of the chair if she hadn’t been hard-wired into it.
How the hell am I supposed to communicate if I can’t talk?

Seht leaned down to catch her eyes. “You forget…” He grinned.
The collar allows a telepathic link. As long as you think in nice clear sentences I can understand you perfectly.
His lips did not move and yet his voice traveled clearly.

Victoria blinked.
You can hear me?

Seht snorted. “There were times this morning where it was difficult to avoid hearing you.” He raised a brow. “Are you aware that you babble mentally when you are frustrated?”

This morning?
Victoria cringed. She wasn’t even sure what she had commented on, other than…
His armor… Bloody Fate!

He raised his brow sharply. “Yes, my armor is a titanium alloy, that’s why it’s so pretty, and so damned light.”

Victoria was convinced she was going to die from the heat flushing her cheeks. She didn’t even have her thoughts to herself. Damn it, that was so unfair!

Seht nodded. “Yes, I know how unfair it all is. Don’t worry, you’ll get over it.”

Victoria narrowed her eyes.
A nice sharp object would make me feel a whole lot better right now.

Seht grinned. “I’m sure it would. However…” He carefully unfastened and removed one of his gloves. “I’m far more interested in your other comment.”

Victoria stilled.
What other comment?
Her heart thumped in alarmed suspicion.

Seht leaned back and used his bare hand to unfasten the buckles at her throat. “The one where you admitted that you had fallen in love with both of us.”

Victoria grabbed his wrist.
That was private!
She couldn’t help but feel betrayed.

Seht stared her in the eye. “Release me.”

Victoria couldn’t turn her head enough to look away because of the ship-connection, so she closed her eyes. She let him go and dropped her hand to her side.
That was private, damn it!

Seht unfastened the buckle at her heart, then the one beneath it. “Do you?”

Victoria gritted her teeth and struggled to stem the bitter ache in her heart.
Do I what?

Seht peeled back her suit, revealing the curve of her breast. “Do you love us?”

Victoria felt her throat close tightly.
Yes, Fate be damned, yes…
The other thought slipped free before she could catch it.
But there is no room in your love for me.

“That’s where you are wrong.” Seht leaned closer and brushed his lips against her throat. “Yes, Aubrey and I do love each other, but it is not a comfortable love. Neither of us would have chosen the other if circumstances had been otherwise. It was something that just happened.” He sighed. “It’s a long and complicated story.”

Victoria was suddenly aware that she could feel a kind of echoing heartache coming from Seht. Apparently, she could feel him as well as hear him… And he was in pain.

His bare finger traced the curve of her breast. “The long and the short of it is that we cannot live without each other, but we both feel the need for a woman in our lives. However, because of the way we are, we need a woman capable of loving us both.” He slid his hand into her suit to cup her breast.
Someone both of us can love.

Victoria groaned as her nipple tightened and ached under his palm. His words suddenly registered. He was offering her a place in their lives, a permanent place. Victoria inhaled sharply.
I can’t!
She shifted under him in alarm.
I can’t love you! I have to go back!

“You already admitted to loving us.” He caught her eye and his hand squeezed her breast. “The question is, do you want to stay with us?”

Victoria felt her heart rip agonizingly in two. She loved them, she did, but she also owed duty and honor to the Imperium.
I have to go back, I
have
to!

Seht bared his teeth in a snarl. “I’m not questioning if you have to go back!” The claws of his gloved hand scored the back of her chair with unconscious strength. The metal screeched. “Do you want to stay with us?”

Victoria shivered and tears streaked her cheeks.
Yes… If I could, then yes.

His mouth took hers in a savage kiss full of sharp teeth and violent urging.

Unable to stop herself, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her hands burrowing into the fur, and kissed him back. Her breast throbbed under the clench of his fingers.

He pulled back with a look of dark triumph. “I’d take you right now, but I’m afraid that your pleasure might cause a malfunction.” Abruptly he climbed off her couch.

Victoria worked to get her heart rate back under control.
Or a systems overload…

“What a nice thing to say.”

What a big fat juicy ego.
Victoria released a breath laced with both frustration at the simmering need he’d awakened in her, and relief that she wouldn’t be sticky from sweat and sex when they arrived. She was determined not to think about the issue they had just kissed over.

Seht dropped back onto his couch and turned to grin at her. “Oh, come now, you know you like the smell of sex.”

Not when I’m about to appear in public.
Victoria lifted a hand to her lips. They felt as bruised as her exposed breast. She tugged at her suit.

“Leave it open. You can close it when we get there.” He grinned. “You have such pretty nipples.”

Victoria leveled a pointed stare at him.

Seht’s brows lowered.

Victoria sighed and left her suit open.

“That’s a good pet.” Seht nodded. “Speaking of pets, there are a few things you will need to understand about what I am, and what will be expected of you on the station.”

Victoria nodded. Different culture, different customs…

“There are four lords, one of whom is myself. All three of the others will have a full complement of servants, staff and
rehkyt.”

Victoria felt like burrowing into her couch.
Terrific; outclassed and outnumbered…
Her brow furrowed.
Servants and
rehkyt?
I thought
rehkyt
were servants?

Seht snorted.
“Rehkyt
are pets. Very few are suited for service.” He looked away. “We are staying with my cousin, Lord Syrhus, who is also the husband of my exalted sister, the
Hedjhyt.”

Victoria frowned. The
Hedjhyt?
That was a title… Her new assimilation of his language filled in the blanks.
She’s the crown princess?

Seht nodded. “Yes, she’s heir to the throne. The women rule on my world. When she achieves the crown, Lord Syrhus will be
Atehf-mehnat,
Queen’s consort, and commander of the armies.”

Victoria puzzled over the information she had downloaded.
Then you’re a
deshryt,
a blood-prince?

“Yes.” Seht nodded. “Not that it means much. She gets the nation of worlds, I get a nice ocean-side palace in a small country.” He turned to her. “However, if I have a daughter, she’ll be a candidate for heir. If my sister approves, she may crown my daughter as
Hedjhyt,
inheritor to the throne.”

Victoria frowned.
It still sounds like a crappy deal for you personally.

Seht shrugged.
Now you know why no one cares if I fly all over the known universe doing whatever I like.

Victoria strongly suspected that that last bit was supposed to be a private thought.

Seht shook his head. “Enough about my family. You need to be prepared for Lord Syrhus’s household.” He caught her gaze. “Ravnos was not exaggerating. We are a slave culture, though we keep them more for entertainment than for any real work.”

Victoria’s brow furrowed.
Entertainment?

“Sexual entertainment.” Seht’s smile was fleeting. “Our women prefer sex once every two years. It’s for sixty days straight, but two years is a long wait for a male capable of performing for a sixty-day period.”

Victoria bit back a chuckle.
I can’t even imagine the frustration.
It did explain the war-like culture.

“Indeed.” He smiled sourly. “We started collecting
rehkyt
to keep from wiping ourselves out.”

Victoria’s brows shot up.
And your women don’t mind?

Seht snorted. “It was their idea.”

Victoria took a deep breath to keep from laughing out loud. It made sense. Females of every culture used sex as a form of manipulation; why not culturally as a way to stem aggressive frustration?

“I’m glad you approve,” he said dryly. “Back to sexual entertainment…”

Victoria rolled her eyes.
Your favorite subject…

“Why, so it is.” Seht grinned. “You are going to see a lot of active punishment among the other
rehkyt
especially among Lord Syrhus’s household. They are conditioned to see it as a form of pleasure, so it appears worse than it really is. It’s best that you remain perfectly calm and avoid reacting to any of it.”

Victoria nodded.
I can do that.
She smiled sourly.
I’ve had to ignore a lot of things for the Imperium.
Like that one time her last Commander had decided to conduct a meeting while a subordinate had knelt in front of him and… She cut that thought off sharply. Seht looked far too interested.

Seht snorted. “I intend to present you as my pilot, so they won’t expect me to treat you like a mere concubine, but if I give you a command, even if it is sexual in nature, obey it without question. I cannot afford to be perceived as weak, and you cannot afford to be anything other than perfectly obedient.”

Victoria flinched. She hoped like hell that he didn’t expect her to perform in public. The idea of having sex in front of others was painfully embarrassing.

“And if I ask it of you?” His voice was soft and deadly.

Victoria stared at him in shock.
Public sex?

Seht nodded. “Yes, fucking in front of an audience.”

Victoria swallowed. Her heart thumped in fear.
I don’t know if I can…
She wiped her damp palms on the couch and tried to ignore the moisture gathering in her crotch.

Seht lifted his head and sniffed. “Something tells me that you actually find the idea exciting.”

Victoria closed her eyes.
I find it embarrassing.

“But you will obey.” It was not a question.

Victoria swallowed hard.
Yes,
‘Syr.

“Very good.” Seht smiled. “You may find this mission more entertaining than you think.”

Victoria nibbled on her bottom lip. Somehow that sounded like both a threat and a promise.

“You may take it as such.” Seht grinned. “And you are going to pay dearly for that ego comment.”

Victoria dove into the data to hide from his laughter.