“Rashta huh?” Tisi sighed over the comms. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised she knows what that is.”

Jason listened intently as the woman seemed to mull it over.

“Tell her she’s got until the end of the inspection and not a second longer. We’re a military vessel not a dating service.”

He waited for an explanation as to exactly what Rashta was to follow his CO’s statement, but none was forthcoming. Apparently Tisi had been waiting for some kind of acknowledgement too, because her voice came down the line again.

“You reading me, private?”

“Yes ma’am.” Jason jolted. “I was just wondering as to exactly what ‘Rashta’ entailed?”

Because for all he knew, it was the shipboard equivalent of a conjugal visit. And of all the weapons he’d expected to use on his first real military operation, he’d rated the chances of using the one in his pants as pretty damn low.

He hadn’t ruled it out entirely though. He was still in Imperial space after all.

“Right. Human,” Tisi murmured, and he could well imagine her ruefully running a hand through her hair. “It’s an old Imperial naval tradition from when we still had a wet navy. Nothing too exciting. It was… well, to put it simply, a hostage exchange. When two ships met on the open sea, for a parley or trade, they’d swap stewards for a bit – assuming both ships had one and that said stewards were male.” His captain paused. “Given how things were back then, it was pretty safe to assume that the steward and captain were… involved, so it was a pretty decent way to ensure good behavior on the part of both party’s while they did business.”

Jason frowned.

“With respect ma’am, that sounds skeevy as hell,” he said, glancing to where Alanis was waiting patiently, a relaxed smile on her face.

“I don’t know what skeevy means, but I can guess. And you’re right, it was and is skeevy.”

Jason’s frown deepened. “So am I expected to…”

“Empress no!” Tisi was quick to interrupt. “If the cave-scum was asking for that, I’d tell her to blow it out of her glowing ass.”

Jason paused. “Do their asses actually glow?”

“No.” The woman down the line chuckled. “Last I heard, they’ve got the same plumbing as anyone else. Not that I’ve ever had cause to check.”

Despite himself, Jason smiled, before his mind switched back to the job at hand. “So what am I expected to do here?”

“Just talk to her and keep her company,” Tisi said. “Nowadays, it basically just means that she’s asking for entertainment as payment for being delayed.”

“You can’t refuse?”

The woman sighed again. “Theoretically I could, but it would be considered rude – even if she is bending the rules by having the person she requested for Rashta be part of the boarding party. Stupid tradition or not, it is still a tradition – and you know how the navy feels about tradition.” He didn’t actually, but he let Tisi continue regardless. “If I refused, she’d no doubt complain to the governess, who’d complain to the admiral, who’d complain to me.”

Silence reigned on the line.

“…I can do that though.” She finished. “If you really don’t want to do this.”

Jason almost smiled at the woman’s very conflicted tone as she offered him an out. He had no idea what the consequences were for refusing, but it almost sounded like his captain considered them worth it to be able to stick it to Alanis.

Plus, you know, getting him out of a situation he didn’t want to be in.

“I’m fine ma’am,” he said. “I’m just keeping her company for a bit, right?”

Fortunately or unfortunately, he wasn’t too bothered by the current situation. He’d just wanted clarification that he wasn’t expected to perform for the alien because of some other alien race’s obscure and outdated traditions.

“Yeah,” Tisi responded, sounding both relieved and just a little disappointed. “Just sit and listen to her blather on until Assisse and Scales finish the inspection. Which I’ll tell them to hurry up on.”

“Don’t worry on my account, ma’am.” Jason said. “I think I can handle one politician.”

Despite being unable to see her face, he could well imagine the smile on his captain’s features as she responded. “I’m sure you can, private. I’ll tell them to hurry up regardless. No need for you to suffer the woman’s presence any longer than necessary.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

The line cut out and Jason was once more alone. Figuratively at least. Alanis and her Marine accompaniment were still present - and watching him with undisguised interest.

“Did your Captain assent to my request,” she asked, correctly assuming that his conversation was over.

Which was a pretty impressive skill, given that his helmet’s seal meant she would have been able to hear none of what was said. Which meant she’d come to that conclusion entirely by reading his body language.

Politicians were scary.

“She has,” Jason allowed. “At least until the inspection is complete.”

Alanis smiled entirely innocently.

“Well then, I guess we don’t have a moment to waste. If you’d follow me through to my parlor?”

Seeing little recourse, Jason did. He noted with some dissatisfaction though, that the Nighkru Marine that had been accompanying Alanis fell in behind the pair of them. She walked in perfect lock step, two paces behind them.

It wasn’t that he was expecting trouble, he just didn’t like the notion of an armed Marine walking in his blind spot. He doubted many people did.

Deliberately, he turned his attention away from the mMarine and towards the ship. Again, he couldn’t really spot any differences between the craft and one of Shil’vati make. Provided one ignored the lack of purple sheen that all Shil’vati constructs seemed to have. Still, other than that, he might as well have been walking the halls of the Whisker for all that he could spot any real differences.

Coming to the end of a hall, Alanis waved a hand over a palm scanner casually. To Jason’s complete lack of surprise, the doors opened smoothly, with barely a sound. It was the same on the Whisker, and though he had tried, he’d never quite been able to get over his disappointment at the lack of a sci-fi style ‘whooshing’ sound.

Of course, such musings slipped out of his mind as he followed Alanis into the room.

He hadn’t really known what to expect. Well, he’d had some idea. He’d certainly been expecting gold. Maybe some jewels. Perhaps even some lacquered and no doubt expensive wood – despite how incongruous the sight always ended up being on a space ship.

That was what Hela’s parlor had looked like – and he’d seen little enough evidence that the noblewoman’s tastes were in any way a deviation from the Shil’vati noble norm.

Alanis’s parlor was… not that.

To the contrary, it was quite starkly minimalist. Not cheap. Just lacking in unnecessary ornamentation. Composed of only blacks and whites, the parlor looked like something he might imagine finding in the office of a rich CEO. The only bit of color in the room was the fancy looking bar at the back of the room, peering out over the soft white synthetic couches.

“You like it?” Alanis asked.

Jason glanced at her, realizing as the door slid shut behind them that the Marine had remained outside – for which he was thankful.

For just a moment, he considered lying. He held it in check though.

“I do,” he admitted frankly.

He’d always had a preference for minimalist design, and the room across from him accomplished that perfectly.

More to the point, he realized that his earlier negative feelings had been because he’d been subconsciously emulating the rest of the Whisker’s crew.

Which begged the question why?

While he understood the Shil’vati’s distaste for the Consortium, he had no reason to share them. So why was his gut instinct to be difficult? Sure, he was a little annoyed at Alanis for pulling him away from his job, but to be perfectly frank, he knew it had been busy work.

So why not enjoy this?

“Thank you,” Alanis smiled. “Interior decorating is a hobby of mine.”

“When you aren’t abducting people?” Jason asked as he followed her over to a couch.

He thought he saw a hint of irritation flash across the Nighkru’s features, but it disappeared before he could be sure.

“Surely you aren’t still hung up on the words of the Rakiri Matriarch?” She chuckled, as if the idea was absurd.

Jason tipped his head to the side in the Shil’vati manner. “I was actually talking about me.”

Alanis froze for just a second, her plastic smile remaining in place, before something that looked a little more genuine took its place.

“Apologies, I’ve grown so accustomed to fending off that particular barb, it’s become an instinct by now.” She settled into her seat. “In regards to your assertion though, I suppose you are correct. I did abduct you after a fashion.”

Jason slipped his helmet off. “After a fashion?”

Alanis took a moment to take in his features, before waving a hand dismissively. “Fine, I guess I did abduct you. Though I would point out that it was Imperial custom that allowed me to do so.”

“You just took advantage of that?”

“I’m an Ambassador and a businesswoman, Jason.” Alanis chuckled throatily. “Taking advantage of pre-existing situations is what I do.”

Jason sighed.

“So why’d you call me in here?”

The woman cocked her head. “Just to chat. Gurathu is a small world after all. There are only so many people of consequence to talk to.”

People of consequence, huh? He thought to himself. For all that Alanis claimed that all people were equal, that last line wouldn’t have sounded strange at all coming from Hela’s lips.

“I’d hardly consider myself someone of consequence,” he said. “I’m a nobody.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Alanis opined, one delicate finger coming up to touch her cheek, as her eyes scanned him up and down. “By gender and species alone, you’re a topic of interest.” She glanced at his helmet. “I wouldn’t be surprised if your Captain isn’t screening a number of invitations from interested nobles hoping to invite you to visit their estates.”

Jason frowned as he found himself looking at the helmet. He hoped that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t that he was interested in mingling with more of the nobility – he’d rather tangle with another Hell-bear. He still deserved to be informed about said invitations though. It was his decision to make, and he didn’t appreciate the notion that anyone would take it out of his hands.

Would Tisi do that?

It pained him that he couldn’t immediately say ‘no’. While the woman had been respectful and kind to him during his time under her, she’d also been protective. Though that wasn’t just the case with him, she was protective of her entire crew.

So no, he couldn’t outright claim that his Captain wasn’t screening his mail.

And that sucked.

Looking up, he noticed that Alanis had been watching him carefully while he’d mulled the question over. The brief look of triumph that crossed her features told him exactly what she’d been looking for. She was happy that he was unhappy with his Captain’s actions.

Which again, begged the question why?

Enough of this, he thought. If she was going to snipe at him, he’d snipe back.

Even as he thought the words, he tried to remind himself that just days ago he’d promised himself that he would try to watch his mouth around powerful people – of which Alanis definitely qualified.

But his mouth was already moving.

“Interesting that you’d count yourself amongst the people who are interested in me because of the color of my skin and what’s dangling between my legs,” he said. “Given that you stressed quite heavily at the party that it’s a person’s actions that define them, not the circumstances of their birth?”

He couldn’t deny some small satisfaction at his words, but that satisfaction soured instantly as Alanis remained completely unruffled.

Which was only to be expected, honestly. She was a seasoned politician, and he was a particularly prickly engineer. In a battle of words, he wasn’t likely to come out on top.

“Everyone’s equal at birth?” Alanis laughed. “I don’t recall saying anything of the sort. We live in an imperfect world, Jason. And while I wish it wasn’t so, one must act according to how things are, not how they might wish them to be.”

She waved a hand delicately. “Tall, smart, beautiful, rich. Everyone is born with different circumstances. What I believe is truly beautiful about the Consortium is that everyone has an opportunity to leverage what they have to better their lot in life.”

Her eyes flicked back up to him, and for just a moment he swore he could see something dangerous in the older woman’s eyes.

“And as a human male, there is a lot for you to leverage. The Shil’vati’s tightfistedness over Earth is to your advantage. You are a rarity in space. A great rarity indeed.” Jason barely noticed as a delicate hand came down to touch his thigh. “I know a number of people that would pay a great deal to host you for a time. You could be a wealthy man in the Consortium.”

Jason just laughed.

“Wealth sounds nice. But I’m not going anywhere but where the Imperial military tells me to for the next five years. Three in Shil’vati.”

Though after his mandatory term of service was up, the universe was his oyster.

Rather than back off though, the Nighkru only scooted closer. “That’s easily fixed. While the means to do so are beyond most, it is a simple process for one to buy themselves out of their mandatory service.”

Jason looked at the woman, noticing for the first time that she was practically leaning against him. “You can do that?”

She nodded. “You can. It’s not even considered odd. More than few noble women sign up to the military and find the lifestyle… objectionable. So they pay the Imperium military a sizable sum to break their service contract.”

Jason determinedly kept his eyes on Alanis, rather than the valley of cleavage below. This wasn’t the time for him to be thinking with his lower head.

“No one mentioned this to me.”

Alanis tittered. “Why would they? It’s not as if the funds required are within your means, or those of anyone without ‘noble’ blood running through their veins.”

This time Jason placed a hand on Alanis’s thigh, ignoring the rushed intake of breath as she gasped in surprise. Nor the way her breathing quickened as his fingers quested delicately up the join between her legs.

He needed honesty now and that meant knocking the woman off-guard. He’d tried words and that had failed.

So it was time for another approach.

“So you’re willing to pay to get me out?” he whispered, ensuring his breath tickled Alanis’s rapidly flushing throat. “That’s mighty generous of you.”

They blush purple like Shil’vati, he noted absently, given the color of her skin, does that mean they have red blood?

“It’s an investment,” Alanis murmured quickly, her eyes wider as his fingers continued to creep up her skirt. “As I said, you would be a valuable commodity. Something I... we can leverage.”

Jason noted that slip even as his fingers brushed up against something that made the woman leaning on him shiver. He imagined in different circumstances that might have been stimulating, but his mind was elsewhere, and more to the point, he was in full armor.

Any sensations he got were dulled by what felt like two layers of full body condom. Admittedly that wasn’t the most flattering analogy, but he felt it fitting. Which meant that what he was doing currently felt more akin to an act of engineering than eroticism. Just flat mechanical motions.

“Just because I’m human?” he asked, leaning further in. “You can’t be serious.”

“Can’t I?” Alanis gasped, eyes slightly glazed. “You have celebrities on Earth don’t you? Same principles.”

He shook his head. “I meant about people being able to buy themselves out of their contracts.”

Perhaps it was the fact that he’d just recently come out of the propaganda factory that was basic training, but he felt that service should mean something. The Imperium, for all its faults, took military service seriously.

It has to, he thought. It’s an expansionist empire. The military is a cornerstone of how it functions.

Alanis just shook her head, lips twisting into a wicked grin. “Money talks, Human. Anywhere and everywhere. It’s the ultimate freedom. The Imperium likes to pretend it’s above it all, but we both know it’s no different. It’s just not brave enough to embrace it, like us.”

Jason thought of how easily Hela and Tisi had talked about bribery and felt his heart sink a little.

“It’s why I hate the Imperium,” Alanis continued, her voice getting heated in more ways than one. “Hypocrites, the lot of them, who hide behind ridiculous outdated notions like blood to avoid any real competition.”

He was surprised as one of her hands came up to touch his cheek, turning his head until his eyes met her own glowing orbs. Which, he belatedly realized, didn’t glow so much as the iris and sclera were like a reflective silver lens.

“You’ll never be equal to them. Always an outsider. Always an underling to the great and mighty nobility.”

He looked away. “It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it?” She laughed, voice hitching slightly as his fingers twitched. “Your race is novel enough. One of the first humans in the Imperial service. So why are you here? You should be somewhere important. Somewhere they can show you off.” She squeezed closer. “Instead, you’re freezing your ass off on a frozen iceball in the middle of nowhere. All because you dared to show up someone important. So they pulled some strings. Stranded you somewhere barely worth the cost of hauling cargo to.”

Jason glanced at her. “Someone’s done her homework on me?”

Alanis winced. Apparently she hadn’t meant to let slip that she’d been researching him. She rallied quickly though.

“As I said, you’ll always be an underling. A client race of the Imperium can rise so high and not a step further.” She grinned. “The Consortium though? You could be a somebody, Jason. Gold. Power. Houses. You just have to leverage what you have – and I can help you!”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. She hadn’t offered him women. Because he was a guy. And they weren’t supposed to be interested in harems of women.

In the heat of the moment, that seemed funnier than it should.

Of course, he knew that said humor was just his way of avoiding the real issue here.

He was tempted.

He wasn’t a saint. Nor was he some kind of monk. Sure, those things didn’t factor much into his everyday life, but he liked money and power as much as the next person.

And here they were, being offered to him on a golden – if slightly suspicious – platter.

And what did he owe the Imperium? Nothing. Less than nothing.

“Thanks… but no thanks.”

He watched Alanis’s eyes widen in surprise at his refusal – and he couldn’t blame her.

He was just as surprised. A stunned silence reigned in the room.

Then it was broken as a small crackling sound came from his right. He turned to grab his helmet, shoving it over his head.

“-id? You better being held at knife point, because if you-”

“I’m here sergeant,” he interrupted before she could finish that threat.

“Then why the fuck didn’t you answer? I told you, on the ship, helmet stays on at all times.”

Jason paled at the tone of the woman’s voice, even as he glanced at where Alanis was still staring at him – an unreadable expression on her face.

“I was, uh, on the toilet?” he tried, guilt growing as he lied.

“You needed to take your helmet off for that?” Assise asked, sounding bemused.

“I… uh…”

Fortunately, he was saved from having to come up with a reason as his superior provided one. “I’m guessing it was a big one, eh? Needed the extra pushing power?”

He felt a small part of himself die inside as he agreed. “Yeah…”

Another bit of himself died as he heard Scales snickering through the comms.

“Fibre, kid.” Assisse lectured, clearly holding back laughter. “Your girl Yaro might be able to go all-meat all the time, but us mere omnivores need a bit more roughage in our diet.”

Jason felt his head drop. “I’ll keep that in mind, Sarge.”

“Also try to hit the lavs before we head out on a boarding action. It never comes up in the holo-vids, but few things are worse than getting stuck in a firefight when you really need to drop a brick. I can remember when-”

“I assume the inspection’s over then?” he interrupted before he got a story he really wasn’t ready for.

“Oh, yeah.” Assisse grunted. “Finish up the grey-bitch and head to the hangar, kid.”

“On my way now, Sarge.”

He sighed with relief as the comms clicked off.

“I assume your comrades have finished their inspection?” Alanis asked as he turned back to her, her voice carefully neutral and that same strange unreadable expression on her face.

“Yeah… I’ve uh, got to go.”

The woman nodded slowly. “Do keep my offer in mind, Jason.”

“Yeah, I will,” he lied as he stood up… which had the unfortunate consequence of removing his fingers from where they’d been tucked for the duration of their conversation.

The startlingly loud slurping sound that accompanied their sudden removal barely covered the surprised ‘eep’ that came from Alanis.

Jason was left standing there, a number of viscous juices coating his fingers as the Ambassador stared up at him wide eyed.

What happened next, he blamed on his surprise. He didn’t really think about it. He just… flicked.

After all, when one had strange liquids stuck to their fingers, they flicked them off. Nothing strange about it.

Really, he couldn’t be blamed for that.

Still, he felt yet a third part of him die inside as said droplets landed on Alanis’s cheek.

Silence reigned once more.

“…Sorry?”

“Go.”