Chapter 167: An Offer They Can’t Refuse
"Please tell me you are joking," yelled Jun Li as he jogged after me down the corridor and into my quarters. If I was going to do this, I was going to be more comfortable.
"Can you think of a better idea? If we had more time, I might have been able to take a spacewalk outside and implant you that way, but they know we are here. The element of surprise is gone. So, I ask again, do you have a better idea?" I demanded as the door to my room slid open. Turning around, I looked at the AI.
"I still don’t agree with you getting kidnapped," muttered Jun Li, a pout on his face.
"What can I say? It’s kind of my strong suit right now. At least I will know how to act," I shrugged my shoulders. "And it is not like I am going to be by myself. I will have Midnight beside me and three invisible bodyguards. This will be the safest kidnapping ever."
"Still," said Jun Li, clearly not sure what to do, but knowing that he screwed up by not giving me advance warning about what I was facing.
"If I didn’t know better, I would think that you were worried about me," I laughed, crossing my arms and leaning against the door jam.
"Human emotions must be contagious. I will look into a better filter for the air to prevent such contaminations in the future," answered Jun Li, a smile on his face. His tense shoulders relaxed as he looked at me. "But are you sure that you will be okay?"
"I promise you. The only people that need to be concerned about their safety are the Sisalik. I will be perfectly fine," I assured him, stepping back into my room. "But I am going to put on something a bit comfier, so go away and make sure that everything else is in place."
"And you will be fine?"
"Can’t be much worse than getting dragged off to a cabin in the woods by a serial killer," I chuckled as the door closed behind me. Turning around, I let out a low sigh and banged the back of my head on the closed door.
What the hell did someone wear to get kidnapped?
-------
Midnight looked at the three Saalistaja males in front of him, wondering just how dumb the four of them were to let their mate get kidnapped.
"Very," grumbled GA as if Midnight had asked his question out loud.
"I am guessing that this was the reason why they need multiple mates, and it had nothing to do with procreating planets," added Ye’tab, swinging around in his chair to look at the other males.
"And yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way," smirked Da’kea, his tusks clicking in amusement.
The other three males snorted their response before going back to work. Each male had a very specific role to play if they were going to keep their mate alive and well.
"Can anyone explain how getting kidnapped counts as a skill?"
----
I changed into black leggings and a crimson sweater. Tying back my hair, I made sure that I had on all my favorite accessories. My passive shield earrings were in their usual place, although it was not like I had taken them off once since Jun Li first gave them to me that fateful day we were freed. Next, my choker was secured around my neck, my only link to the nano armor and Sha Shou for when shit the fan. And let’s face it. It was going to.
Over the top of my sweater, made from the bulletproof fabric, I wore golden bracelets that could become garrots if needed. Under my sweater and leggings was a catsuit made from the same fabric, just in case.
I didn’t know what was going to happen to me once they got their hands on me, and as much as I would like to think that having four bodyguards was going to protect me from the worst of it...
Well, I was a pragmatic person after all.
I would rely on myself first and then use them as backups if needed.
"Jun Li," I called out, knowing that the AI was well aware of everything going on. "I am going to need some type of personal breathing apparatus or something along those lines for me and Midnight. Or maybe just Midnight because I will have access to my armor."
"What are you thinking?" asked Jun Li from over the speakers as I put on a pair of soft black ballet flats. Boots might look badass, but they were heavy and clunky. The flats would let me run quieter if needed and give me more flexibility in my legs and ankles.
"As soon as you are in the system, kill all of the Sisalik," I replied, double-checking myself in the mirror. I didn’t look like I was loaded for bear as strands of my hair curled around my face. But I knew that I was.
"You want me to kill them?" repeated Jun Li.
"I want you to turn off the air to the entire ship, just like we did the first time," I answered concisely. "And then suffocate all of the bastards. This time, we will leave the ship drifting in space. Let the Alliance know that I am tired of playing their games."
"And the Uugazts? I am already in their system."
"Leave them for now. I am thinking about making them an offer that they can’t refuse," I sneered. Cannon fodder was always needed in a war, and I was going to use them just like the Alliance did. If they were smart, they’d pick my side. If not, well, like Jun Li said, he was already in their system.
"Understood," grunted Jun Li, starting to sound a bit like my guys. "Midnight has been giving the PBD, the personal breathing device. Your other three males won’t be affected because they will have their armor on at all times."
"You’re the best!" I said with a smile as I left my quarters and went back to the bridge. At least they were going to have to do the heavy thinking about how to get me on their ship, and I didn’t need to worry about it.
"I try," deadpanned Jun Li, and I let out a bark of laughter. This might not be as bad as I thought it would be.
----
"And you are sure that they made contact with her?" asked Pippa as she looked out of one of the many windows on Stargazer. The silence was starting to take effect on her. She wasn’t used to not being around people all the time.
She would have to do something about that before it drove her crazy. But for right now, she needed to follow the plan.
"I am sure," replied Stargazer over the speakers. "And she had that Njeriuujk with her."
"Government experiment," snorted Pippa as she swirled the bright red alcohol in her hand. Taking a small sip, she let the burn course through her blood just enough to take the edge off. "Clearly, she thinks that I am dumb," she said, snorting again.
"You think she is Subject 1?"
"I know that none of the other girls are. And she admitted it herself when she bitched me out for deleting the coordinates to Earth that she had been here longer than the rest of us. I am surprised that the Alliance hadn’t clued into that yet."
"I am still unclear about your entire plan," said Stargazer hesitantly, not sure how to approach the woman. She held his crystal around her neck, ensuring that he couldn’t steal it back. She could very easily erase him before he had the chance to kill her, so for right now, he was just biding his time.
"And that is what makes you the sidekick," chuckled Pippa, taking another sip. She turned away from the window and the vastness of space, her white dress twirling around her ankles. "But the long and the short of it is that I am going to kill Bai Mei Xing, take what makes her so special, and transfer it to me. Then I will become the last Ethawainian Royalty and get all the benefits associated with that."
"I still don’t understand. You can’t just transfer her genetic code into you," pointed out Stargazer hesitantly.
"Then I keep her alive, locked in one of your cells until I can figure out how to do it," shrugged Pippa like it wasn’t that big of a deal. Turning on the big screen that looked like a television, she flipped through all of the shows until she found a reality one that looked good. Most of the contestants had more limbs than she was comfortable with, but a limb was cut off for every wrong move they made, so it made it more bearable for her to watch.
"The point is that I am not some fucking breeder. I will do whatever I have to in order to make sure that I am not the Alliance’s puppet to be sold off at their will. Even if I have to kill a few people to do that."
