Anna narrowed her eyes. I thought she'd tell the woman off, but instead she said, "Possible, I suppose. You realize you aren't allies and the last time you suggested non-aggression you aimed for our destruction."
"You planned your own betrayal. You likely have again and we have too, of course. Still, perhaps we can subvert expectations," Tala said.
Anna waved a hand idly in the air. "If you had anything I was interested in, I might consider it. As we both know, your technology is useless to us."
Was it? I was still trying to figure out the Righteous. I knew that they occupied the core instead of the Rim. A section of reality that most resembled the world of old. The Righteous purified the Powered, stripping them of their gifts in the name of removing some kind of evil. Despite that their airships and immortality spoke to their own use of Power cores.
"Were you aware King Olec has fallen?" Tala asked, far too casual.
"Ah," Anna said, silent for several long moments. Then she said, "I have a partnership with this vessel and its core."
"Emma. We are aware," Tala said.
Anna explained to me, "King Olec was the ruler of the Brightspire and the endless river. He was a Righteous ally and although their partnership was uneasy, it appeared to be sincere and rewarding for both sides. If I understand Tala properly, she is suggesting a similar alliance might arise between us. She’s offering that we can be Olec’s replacement."
"An offer made by hologram because she doesn't trust us enough to come in person," I said.
"You've made something of a habit of killing Righteous," Tala said.
We were good at it too.
"Which still doesn't change the fact that I have something you want very badly, and you've nothing really solid to offer me," Anna said.
"What about the location of the Aelfwal socket?" Tala asked.
Through the monitoring bracelet I could detect how Anna's vitals spiked. Whatever that was, it had her excited.
"Bullshit," Anna said.
"No use to us. As you know, it is incompatible," Tala said. “But for you...”
"I would like to believe you. Can you offer assurances?" Anna asked.
"Myself. This is not even an exchange for the orb, but a first step in a partnership. In exchange for the orb I'll turn myself over to you as guarantee of goodwill," Tala said.
"Thoughts, Emma?" Anna asked.
"Human life isn't worth very much and she places far more values on hers than I do. If they were willing to take you in, that might at least do me a service," I said.
"Righteous value one of their Commanders highly,” Anna said, before turning back to the holograph. “Consider us interested, but there is a complication with the orb."
"A complication?" Tala asked.
"Emma, could you teleport Ophelia here?" Anna asked.
I did so.
"What is this about?" Ophelia asked in that strangely vacant tone.
Tala circled around Ophelia, who stared at her flatly. Tala said, "I see. How did this happen?"
"Ophelia has the ability of accelerated healing. She was left to die lying over the stabilizer orb and wearing a basic clone of Emma's intelligence," Anna said.
Well, Anna was being forthright. I didn't like it. I still didn't trust the Righteous at all.
The hologram shimmered and solidified. Where before there was a projection, now flesh and blood took its place. Tala had teleported here directly.
The Righteous had many capabilities they shouldn't have.
"Well, if you wanted to give every Righteous nightmares over this abomination, you've managed to do so," Tala said.
"Screw you. You're no prize yourself, lady," Ophelia said, then blinked as if startled at her own words.
"You are neutralizing what happened?" Anna asked Tala.
Outside, the Righteous ship shimmered and vanished.
Tala reached into a pocket and withdrew a square-cut gem of some sort, flipping it towards Anna who caught it. It made my sensors ache just to look at it.
"A void crystal fragment attuned to the stabilizer orb. I recommend you have it placed into a necklace and that she wears it around her neck. The Righteous will work on a longer-term solution," Tala said.
"And they are leaving you behind," Anna said.
Tala lowered herself to one knee. "As the offer of goodwill. I swear you my loyalty and my service. All that I know and all that I am is yours to do with as you will."
"Send her downstairs, Emma. I want to know everything about her. Make it horrible," Anna said.
I teleported her to a testing lab and began a vivisection. They never seemed to enjoy that. I could devise some more traumatizing experiments later.
27
Upon our return to Reevesport things had changed quite a bit. Only a few ships were docked. It seemed that most vessels were keeping some distance from the city and their cannons manned. We weren't engaged as we flew past, but more than one gun moved to track our progress.
We were allowed to proceed to our usual dock without incident. If the entire port opened fire on us at once we might be in trouble, but with the current state of our defenses we made a hard target. No one wanted to start something.
As soon as we settled in I was getting a communication from Cutout asking to come aboard. Anna agreed to meet him in her throne room.
Anna again went for a slinky red dress that she probably thought made her look regal. Either that, or she was attempting to seduce Cutout. I couldn't deny the possibility, desperation makes one do foolish things.
Cutout was accompanied by three guards. The trio of blondes might have been clones for all their perfect similarity in terms of features. Cutout took a moment to look around the throne room. "Girl, if you're trying to impress someone, you're trying too hard. I see you did some off-the-books mission. Not mad, this makes you more useful and, oh, the opportunities that have opened up."
"I'd think of where you are and encourage you to think of showing some respect. It looks like a war is about to break out," Anna said.
"Girl, your tits are pretty good, but they aren't that amazing," Cutout said.
Anna's features went cold. Anna didn't usually turn cold when she got angry. I made certain a testing labyrinth was prepared and got Candice and Diana ready for combat, just in case.
"Men have died for them. You may yet be counted among that number. Say something interesting, quickly," Anna said.
Cutout gave her a cocky smile and shrugged. "The Descari Cartel were the major provider of Blocker, a drug that could block telepaths. Their supply dried up and suddenly everybody is busy learning each other’s dirty little secrets. The Eithnari, the Hunters, the Magnesium Fist, are all at odds. This is a time made for a man of ambition and I am a man of ambition."
I didn't doubt that much was true.
"That isn't a plan," Anna said.
"Suppose not," Cutout said, and he faded to an outline only to reappear an instant later directly before Anna's throne—with a shadowy blade already stabbed in her midsection. It happened too suddenly even for my far superior capacity to prevent it. It didn't stop me from responding.
I teleported Anna to the Medbay. Around her she was already forming her suit of armor, although her vitals were doing terrible. The spectral blade had done far more damage than a normal sword strike should have. Her accelerated healing in combination with the Medbay was slowing it down, but not stopping it.
Cutout vanished from the throne room as did his guards, each leaving their own silhouettes behind.
One of the guards materialized a few seconds later beside my core along with a woman. This one had long raven hair and wore a brilliantly sparkled dress that seemed utterly unsuited for invading a ship. She began to sing. Power rippled out—compulsion. Were it not for the shielding I'd have been lost in an instant.
The other guards and Cutout were rematerializing with new people. One appeared with a whole squad in Engineering, although the moment they arrived bolts of electricity leapt from every available surface and flesh began to sizzle and twitch.