Eleya regarded Carbon for several seconds before she responded. "I have taken care of the problem, dear niece. What else would I have done?"

Carbon’s demeanor shifted a bit, eyes burning as she raised her voice. "How did you do it?"

"I have married you and the young pilot." Eleya was remarkably nonchalant about that, given Carbon’s reaction to her even knowing about their relationship before.

Alex was a quarter of a second behind the conversation because of his translator. It wasn’t much but it only gave him enough time to make a sort of surprised guttural noise before Carbon exploded. "That is not what we discussed! That is illegal!"

“All of you, out.” Eleya glanced over at the empty spot by the wall, eyes narrowed. “They will be fine, Captain.”

The door opened on silent hinges, multiple barely visible forms following each other out. Impressive they managed to stay so clear while moving. As far as Alex was aware, the Human version of optically cloaked armor wasn’t nearly so transparent unless still.

Eleya had returned to her liquor cabinet as they went, topping off her drink as silence filled the room after the door closed. "I was so moved after the young pilot confessed his blazing... Mmh, no. Enduring love for you that I made it legal. I oversaw the ceremony myself. That is the official story. It is much more elegant than what we discussed and I believe it will be taken well back home."

“Elegant!” Carbon took a step forward, the motion halting as soon as her foot hit the ground, no doubt well aware of Eleya’s personal guard even if they were in the next room now. “A royal decree allowing-”

Eleya cut her off, voice sharp but not raised. “Do you think that would not be transparent? ‘Oh yes, we’re bringing one single human into the fold, to help with ongoing exploration efforts. Mmhm, the one was piloting the Kshlav’o when it was shot down. And yes, Shipmaster Tshalen will be coming with him for some reason, even though none of the ships are large enough to warrant a Shipmaster.’ You are smarter than that, dearest niece.”

“It’s a reasonable thought to bring him in, given his expertise.” Carbon faltered, but was still much louder than normal, ears still set back and ready for a fight. “Though the expedition was cut short, we still found significant assets that need proper investigation, it’s fitting that we would be placed in that fleet. Your desire for propaganda could be filled with that - despite the destruction of the Kshlav’o, our duty to the Tsla’o people has not ended.”

The Empress let her speak her piece this time, patient while Carbon unspooled a bit of rope. “And when you can’t hide the truth anymore? What lie shall you spin then? What more lies would you weave, instead of an easy truth? Should we say he has... special exploration abilities that only you can call forth in him? Although. That is a truth as well, is it not?” That little smirk came back.

There was a half a second where, if the two of them were not separated by about ten feet and possibly someone in power armor still hiding in here, Alex thought Carbon would have taken a swing at her. The way her body tensed, fist actually coming back for a moment, spoke volumes. Her words were clipped when she replied. “It will not be a problem. I can keep my secrets.”

Eleya cocked her head the the side, gently shaking it, the smirk that had been tugging at the corner of her muzzle gone. “You cannot. I do not say that to hurt you, it is the truth.”

Carbon spit out something that was flagged as untranslatable. “What do you know of me?”

“When you were delivering your report on the expedition and its untimely end, do you know what you were doing?” Eleya’s demeanor shifted and set her glass down. She fixed Carbon with a stern gaze and folded her arms over her chest.

“I suppose you will tell me.” Almost not shouting now, but still venomous.

“Oh, of course, dear niece. You were transparent. In front of two Admirals. Even in front of me! Every time the name of the young pilot came up, you would get a look in your eye and you would smile. Just a little. Do you know how long it’s been since I saw you smile while I was in the room, and it did not immediately fall when you looked my way? I remember each time.” Eleya had become more animated as she spoke, those stern eyes melting into sadness, a faint smile on her lips. “My presence was not enough to overcome your happiness, for once. That alone was monumental. I had to know more, and that was before you described any of his more heroic actions in utterly superlative language.”

“I did no such thing.”

“You did. Check the video if you do not believe me. It was clear as the air in this room.” She sighed softly and the smile turned wistful. “I hope you have not kept this development from Neya. She needs good news, unconventional as it is.”

Carbon had begun to relax, slightly. She didn’t look like she was about to get into a fist fight anymore. But the mention of Neya - an name Alex was entirely unfamiliar with - immediately turned it around. She shook, hands balled into fists again, though this time her antenna and ears rose slightly, a ridge of fur running from above her eyes and over the top of her head following suit. Though her eyebrows were pulled tight and eyes narrowed into a sharp glare, they were wet. Given everything he’d learned so far, angry crying was going to be as bad with Tsla’o as it was with Humans. “Why did you do this?”

Eleya leaned back against the cabinet with cool eyes, all traces of the humor that had been there before gone. “He needs protection. Our people need to have some scrap of confirmation that we are not just being held at arms length as we are drained of our technology. Marrying one into the royal family worked with the western tribes, it will work here.”

“The western tribes!? That was three hundred years ago! This is hardly the same! They- they were Tsla’o!” She thrust an accusatory finger at Eleya, shouting at her from across the room again.

“They were. It has always been the place of the royals to lead the way. I do not expect that we will embrace humans the same way the tribes were, but I do expect that the rebellion’s legs will be snapped by this.” She walked to stand in front of Carbon, just slightly shorter than her niece, gesturing with the glass as she spoke. “I told you long ago, that your life is mine. That if you were lucky, you would be my sword and shield rather than a payment to keep someone in line.”

She paused and took a drink. “I think it appears that you are very lucky.”

Carbon seethed in silence with her eyes locked on Eleya, teeth bared and hate etched on her face. Her words came slowly, each one loaded with acid. “May I be dismissed?”

Eleya sighed quietly and waved a hand towards the door. “Yes. Go.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

She had started to turn before Eleya had even finished her first word, Alex rising to follow as soon as he realized what had just been said, still lagging behind about what had just transpired.

Eleya stepped into his path and grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm till his elbow locked. In one smooth motion she pivoted her shoulder into his upper arm and forced him back, the edge of the bed knocking his knees out from under him and planting him where he had just been. “I did not dismiss you, young prince.”

It took Alex a few moments to pick a question out of the possibilities that were roiling in him. His first instinct was to go to Carbon, but Eleya’s statement and the knowledge there was at least one cloaked guard made that seem unwise, for the time being. “What the hell just happened?”

She took a drink - he just now noticed that she was still holding it when she had stopped him, and hadn’t appeared to have spilled it - and gave him a sidelong glance before dragging a chair over to the bed and sinking into it, gesturing out past the door with her drink. “She needs a moment to collect herself.”

Alex was starting to get sorted out. Carbon was upset and erring towards anger felt pretty right about now. “That’s not what I asked, so let me rephrase it: what the fuck is going on?”

“You must understand, this is how most of our conversations end. Carbon will hate me for a few hours - perhaps a few days this time - and then go back to not liking me.” She stretched her legs out and set her feet on the bed next to him, soft leather shoes resting atop each other as she crossed her ankles. “I like seeing your concern for her, Alex. It makes me feel much more confident in this decision.”

He felt strangely good when she said that, the fire in him cooling slightly. “Why did you marry us? What does that do other than upset her?” Alex still felt distant from that, the fact of what Eleya had done hadn’t sunk in yet. Mentally, he was still back where he hadn’t even told his parents that he was dating again, let alone who he was dating.

“Several reasons, the most important being Carbon. Aside from her odd name, she has always been a tremendous asset. Smart, capable, popular with the public, and quite pretty.” She studied her glass before taking a long drink. A sad smile crossed her face as she looked back up. “I do believe that your life is in danger, and I will not see that girl wither in the desert of your death. It would shatter her.”

Alex had started to think that she’d just been blowing smoke up his ass. Maybe she was. At the very least he was starting to catch on with how she was manipulating him, edges of truth corralling him in the direction she wanted him going. “Fine. So, you’re doing all this for her? I’m a pawn for you to move around?”

“Would you prefer not to be? I have just filed these documents, there is still time for me to wipe the slate clean. Send you back to Earth to your family. Carbon can rejoin the fleet, take her place as a Shipmaster again.”

“That’s not-” Alex gritted his teeth, exhaling slowly through them. Perhaps a few truths of his own were in order. “You think that me dying would shatter her? What do you think her going back to being a Lan would do to her?”

“She was- is a fantastic Shipmaster. Exemplary among rarified peers.” She replied, looking a little annoyed at his lack of decorum. He should have just been agreeing with her, after all.

“You haven’t really been keeping up with her, have you?” Alex tilted his head, eyes narrow as he inspected the Empress. He gestured up towards the top of his head. “You don’t do the thing? Not that sort of trusted family?”

Eleya did not particularly care for that intimation, sitting up a little straighter, chin tipped up just slightly to give her that imperial look again. A frown tugged at the corner of her mouth. “We do not.”

"We do. Carbon was barely keeping her shit together when I met her. She burned herself up to keep going on her previous assignment, and she never let any of you know it. I helped her with that, as much as she’d let me. Didn’t you pillage those memories?” He knew he shouldn't be telling Eleya, of all people, something that Carbon would probably want kept private. He also thought she'd approve of a little bit of hurt applied to Eleya. It was a balance.

“I did not. There was much I left unseen. I am not a parasite, I needed confirmation that you are who she thinks you are.” There was a hint of disdain in her voice, but she seemed less resolute now.

“She’s been in my head multiple times, you think I could hide from her? The absolute fucking audacity to think that Carbon couldn’t easily see through me in there.” Alex laughed at that. It looked like he was the only one in the room who was aware of the secrets she had kept. “I’m surprised to say this, but it’s a shame you didn’t. So! Go ahead and make that threat. I’m calling you on it. Undo what you did. Send me away, fit her back into the system that almost destroyed her. See how it goes. You can watch her wither in a desert of your own design.”

This was clearly not the reaction or information that Eleya had expected to receive in this moment. She stared into the distance for a lot longer than Alex thought normal, apparently not doubting his words. “Long ago, her mother made me promise that I wouldn’t use her as currency. That I would do my best to do right by her, to keep her happy.”

Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear this coming from Eleya. He barely knew her and such a direct and earnest comment already felt strange. “You’re doing a shitty job of that.”

She laughed, the sound thin and sarcastic. “So it is. The girl has not trusted me for a very long time, and I can’t blame her. I pushed her hard when she was young so that she would be all that she could. As she has grown, she has pushed herself harder. I have spent decades trying to make her take even a week of vacation. I gave her houses and ships, offered her everything I could, consulted the best psychologists to find some angle to make her stop for a day. I think she believed that she could outrun me somehow if she did not yield.”

“How do you not know that she doesn’t care about stuff?” This seemed like it was obvious, but he was clearly the one who’d been more involved in Carbon’s life for the last few decades, which was not a great sign considering he hadn’t even met her a year ago. “She’s incredibly driven, because she’s afraid of you. You can’t just expect to toss things at her to make it better. Which, hello, that’s what you’re doing with me.”

Eleya’s smile changed, softening until it ceased to exist, eyes slowly following suit as she wilted in that ornate chair. “I wield all the power of the Tsla’o Empire and could not make my niece take a break. You flash a smile and the galaxy stops. She loves you more than anything, you know. I linked with you as I did to ensure that you reciprocated that appropriately. Everything else this might accomplish is convenient, so long as she is happy. I told you, we are allies.”

He almost didn’t believe that Eleya just wanted Carbon to be happy. It seemed like such a petty thing for an Empress to be chasing. If he hadn’t seen how she felt about her, the secret that they now shared, he actually wouldn’t believe it. Eleya at least seemed to be honest about this. “If you want me to be an ally, then you need to start treating me like one.”

Eleya righted herself, drawing back up and standing before him, eyes resolute. “Have my apology then, Alex Sorenson. I have mistreated you, considered you as a payment to mend my relationship with my niece. If you wish me to stay my hand in regards to the marriage, I will comply, though I think it the most defensible way to proceed.” She stuck her hand out to him.

He stood and shook her hand, surprised that she was familiar with the gesture, given that Tashen seemed to find it entirely alien. He didn’t fully believe her, either. It could well just be another way to direct him the way she wanted, but the admission would buy her a little bit of leeway for now. “Alright. Apology accepted. I think Carbon needs to be involved in this conversation - I don’t know exactly what her plan was, but the fact you didn’t discuss this with her... well, you saw how it turned out.”

“I have.” Eleya brushed some hairs off of his shirt, neatening him up a bit. “Go find her. Take Tashen with you. He knows her hiding places and is getting very nervous with my guards out there.”

“Thank you.” He was heading for the door in a heartbeat, legs slightly wobbly but serviceable. He really needed to talk to Carbon first, get things sorted out and make some sense of what just transpired before they returned to discuss things further.

“One thing, before you go.” Eleya stopped him before he opened the door, taking his arm gently and pulling him down to eye level. Her voice was low and her gaze deadly serious. “If we are truly allies I must be clear about this, Alex. I care about Carbon and how you make her feel. You are pulled along in her wake. Do not disappoint me.”