"Yeah, movies," Bay said. "With swords and wizards and . . ."
He heaved a sigh.
This is wrong.
The girl kissed him and stroked his body. "Allow me to pleasure you, sir."
He grabbed her wrist. "No. You don't have to. Not tonight. I just want to hold you. Okay, Rowan?"
She smiled at him. "Would you like my name to be Rowan?"
He blinked at her.
"What am I doing?" he whispered.
The avatar touched his cheek. "You are embarking on the erotic adventure of a lifetime, courtesy of Electric Drea—"
Bay pulled off his helmet.
He ripped off his sensors.
A robotic voice emerged from the helmet at his feet. "No refunds. Please visit Doctor Tingle at booth 17 for all your sexual dysfunction needs."
Bay kicked the helmet across the room.
He knelt on the carpet, head lowered.
From across the hive rose the sounds of sin. Aliens cheered as one gladiator slew another. Bay closed his eyes and clenched his fists until both hands hurt.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The scorpions had only inched into Concord space.
They had only annexed a single planet—and without shedding a drop of blood.
And within hours, a massive Concord armada was flying their way, determined to crush the invaders.
Caught between both armies, the Heirs of Earth flew through space, heading toward the advancing Concord fleet.
"Are you sure about this, lad?" said Duncan, standing on the bridge of the Jerusalem. "This isn't our fight."
"It is our fight," Emet said, staring at the thousands of Concord warships. "Millions of humans cry out in agony, suffering in Hierarchy space. The scorpions will slay them all. Our people. We must fight them."
Duncan gave his beard a nervous tug. "Emet, the Concord is more than capable of handling the threat. Look at them." He gestured with one of his broad hands. "They have thousands of warships. What help can we possibly offer? We're like a wee hornet volunteering to fight alongside falcons."
"Hornets too can be deadly," Emet said. "We'll do our part in this war."
Duncan was silent for a long moment. Finally he stepped closer and placed a hand on Emet's shoulder. "Laddie, I'm afraid. I don't like to admit it. But I am. I'm afraid we'll lose our fleet. Our warriors. That the Heirs of Earth will perish in this battle. We can leave the Concord and Hierarchy to fight each other. We can sail away. We can seek Earth. That's our mission."
Emet turned to look at his friend. Duncan stood a foot shorter but even broader, and despite his age, he was still strong, his arms so powerful they could topple worlds.
"Duncan, we have only two thousand humans in our ships. It's not enough. Our mission is not only to find Earth, but also to bring Earth's children home. And right now, Earth's children need us here. On the front line. In this war." He clasped his friend's shoulder. "You've fought at my side for thirty years, Dunc. Fight with me now too."
Duncan's eyes warmed, and he tightened his lips.
"Aye, laddie. I'll fight with ya. Even if ya lead us into hell."
Emet gazed ahead. The Concord armada was close now. Their thousands of warships glimmered across space like a field of stars. Several species had come to fight. There were oval, scaled ships that looked like dragon eggs—the ships of the Tarmarins, desert dwellers from Til Shiran. There were fleshy podships, deep purple and gray, built of fungus—the vessels of the Esporians, a race of sentient mushrooms. A few ships were glimmering crystals, most larger than the Jerusalem; they transported the Silicades, a race of intelligent aliens formed of silicon crystals. A handful of ships were formed of cylinders filled with water; inside swam the Gouramis, a race of intelligent fish.
But these strange ships only formed the flanks. The Aelonians, the most powerful race in the Concord, formed the vanguard.
Aelonian starships were leaf-shaped and silvery, beautiful and deadly like ancient daggers. Emet had rarely met Aelonians. They were a mighty race, the central pillar of the Concord, but loath to leave their home system. Their homeworld hosted many famous institutions: Concord Hall, a shimmering glass tower that hosted ambassadors from ten thousand civilizations; the Citadel of Peace, a mighty fortress, headquarters of the Peacekeepers Corp that unified the Concord; the Temple of Memory, a vast library containing the wisdom and cultural heritage of many worlds; the Cosmic Museum, where the secrets of nature and history were preserved; the Botanical Terrarium, containing plants from countless worlds; and many other grand buildings.
The Aelonians were scientists and scholars—but also warriors. Their fleet was vast, their power terrifying.
If any one race can rival the scorpions, it's the Aelonians, Emet thought.
As he flew toward the Concord fleet, Emet worried that they'd open fire on the Heirs of Earth. After all, humans were not a Concord member. They operated outside the law. Emet prepared to reverse and flee.
Several Concord ships turned toward the human fleet, guns extending. Yet they did not attack. Not yet.
The Aelonian flagship flew closer. Letters on its hull named it The Iliria. It was a massive ship, as large as Central Park on old Earth. It hailed the Jerusalem.
Emet looked at the gargantuan alien starship. The Iliria made the Jerusalem seem small and ugly. The Aelonian flagship was shaped like a broad dagger, tapering to a point. It shone like mother of pearl, and its engines emitted white light. It floated like a shard of moonlight.
Emet accepted the call. An Aelonian appeared on his monitor.
"Greetings, Emet Ben-Ari, lord of humans. I am Admiral Melitar, high commander of the Aelonian fleet. In our databases, you are designated as a terrorist linchpin, wanted on many Concord worlds. Why do you approach our armada?"
Some called the Aelonians beautiful, but Emet had always found them unsettling. Their shape was humanoid—relatively rare in a galaxy swarming with giant insects, technologically savvy fish, sentient plants, and living crystals. The Aelonians had two legs, two arms, one head. But there the resemblance to humans ended.
Their skin was transparent, revealing luminous organs and glowing blood. Some animals on Earth, Emet had read, were bioluminescent. Angler fish, for example, attracted prey with a glowing bulb on their heads. The Aelonians had evolved on a dark planet that orbited a red dwarf, a world of perpetual shadows. To compensate, they had evolved to glow. Gazing at this Aelonian, Emet could see its heart beat, its entrails coil, its lungs pump, its blood flow through the veins, all glowing blue, red, and yellow.
"Greetings, Admiral Melitar," Emet said. "I am Admiral Emet Ben-Ari, commander of the Heirs of Earth. We come to offer aid. We wish to join you, to help fight the Hierarchy. I see many civilizations flying with you to war. Let humanity fight too."
The Aelonian considered for a moment. He spoke to his officers, then looked back at Emet. "I will send a shuttle for you. Come board the Iliria. Come alone with no weapons. We will talk."
The transmission died.
A hatch opened on the silvery ship, and a teardrop shuttle emerged. It came flying toward the Jerusalem. Emet placed Thunder and Lightning aside.
Duncan placed a hand on Emet's shoulder. "Are you sure about this, laddie? May I remind you that you're still a wanted terrorist mastermind. At least, according to those walking lava lamps."
Emet smiled thinly. "If they wanted to kill me, Duncan, they could blast us out of space. I'll talk to him."
"Aye, you do that, laddie," Duncan muttered. "Go talk to the shiny buggers. Might want to take sunglasses with ya."