She glanced around the room, scanning the charts and vidfeeds along the wall. “Where are your crewmembers? Didn’t you say you had five?”
“Selena, can you keep a secret?”
“Do you know who I am and what I rule?” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, I can keep a secret.”
“Crew, report.”
One by one, all five of his Oetsae staff appeared, introducing themselves and their roles. Finally, both their symbionts became visible. REI stood beside Selena’s Euouae, all eyes on the exchange with the newcomer.
“Kaede, is that your symbiont?” Selena asked, covering her mouth.
“Yes, Selena,” he replied. “I have an Oetsae like you. Mine has integrated with my AI system and has taken on its name. She has helped streamline my process, allowing me the freedom to accomplish more as she focuses on larger tasks.”
“Like managing more drones.”
“Exactly.” He nodded. “And communicating with the Oetsae on this ship.”
He sat in his commander’s chair and pulled her into his lap. Surprising him, she didn’t resist or complain, as if she wanted to be close to him, too.
“But why?” She searched his eyes through his visor. “Why do you have one?”
He had prepared for this conversation but hadn’t anticipated having it so soon.
“I was responsible for placing an Oetsae in you, knowing full well what they are and do,” he explained. “I had planned on putting one in me once I discovered how useful they were after the completion of this vessel. If I could put the same intelligence and power within me, I could become a more efficient bodyguard to you.
“After I rescued you and sent you away, I concluded that if I had implanted an Oetsae sooner, you wouldn’t have been kidnapped. So, I implanted REI in my headjack and became a host.” He sent her a sad smile. “If you were forced to live your life as one, I decided I needed to do the same, so you wouldn’t experience this alone.”
“Oh, Kaede,” she gasped, covering her mouth. “How could you? You didn’t need to become a host just because you made me one to save my life.”
“I was planning to become one anyhow, Selena,” he stressed. “I built this ship, the deadliest spacecraft in existence. Since I am no longer the leader of the Fab Five, I needed a crew whom I could trust on missions, and the Oetsae were my solution. I didn’t want Q’s mutiny to happen to me; his crew decided to prioritize credits over loyalty.” He gestured to the room filled with ethereal forms. “How could I ask for a better crew than this one?”
“After what happened, I understand your reasoning,” she mumbled. “I just wish the Stars hadn’t given you this path.”
“I did this for you, Selena.” He squeezed her tighter to his chest. “I created this vessel to make sure I can keep you safe, and I’m glad that I did. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to rescue you as quickly.”
“I’m glad you did, too.”
“I don’t want to interrupt,” ZYU began, moving to stand before them. “But I would like permission to disembark.”
Glancing at the female in his arms, he nodded. “Permission granted.”
Smiling to himself, he enjoyed explaining to Selena how ZYU took off and flew the ship. Instead of being aroused by the female in his lap, he felt content that she was finally aboard his ship and on high alert of what could come. He knew they would all feel anxious until they were in the safety of their galaxy, so he had commanded VYA to leave drones behind to report if anyone was following them.
He couldn’t afford another failure. Not when he was still correcting this one.
