A female voice called out.“I knew you gossipy bitches were going to call him.”
Baket turned and froze.Where the jagged marks had been were smooth silver scars.Her hair was still as red as her own dried blood.Her eyes had gone from dark brown to dark silver.
“Margo, what happened?”
She snorted.“I touched Chloe, and her instinct is to heal, so this is the compromise.”
She looked at the com screen with Aken-Var’s face on it.“Oops.We are driving through a tunnel.”She disconnected the link.
Baket sighed.“He will just renew contact.”
“Of course.Gertrude, run silent to the array.”
“Of course, Margo.These gossipy bitches will have to get through me.”
Baket fought a smile.When Margo felt vulnerable, her language degraded.
“We will be there in twelve more hours.Who wants first watch?”
Baket nodded.“I will take it.Get some rest.I believe you will be dealing with your people for the next few days.That has to be tiring.”
“Uh-huh.Gertrude, don’t let him weasel dick his way around the com lock.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Gertrude said.“No new com signals will get past me.”
Margo nodded.“See you in eight hours.”
She walked out of the command deck with long strides.
Baket looked at the screen, and it flicked to life again with Aken-Var’s rueful expression.
“But Gertrude, you said...”
“She never locked him out; she just covered up his smug face with a black screen.”
Aken-Var said, “Her skin is smooth.”
Arven said, “But it still has the marks of being carved.They are just filled with pale silver.One of her kind is the seed of life.She touched Margo, and this was the result.”
“Where are you travelling?”
“An array, Sanctuary Base, a Pericoff world, and then Orexi.There may be a stop at Aten as well.”
“So, keeping to a few close systems.” Aken-Var nodded.“Good.Changes need to be made on Amtha Prime.”
They spoke with their commander for an hour, answering questions about what they had observed in her behaviour since they had been with her.Soven summed it up.“She will never be confined again.You are very lucky she did not kill herself.Also, she does spend most of her money on sex workers when we are at a station.Her drive is still intense.”
Aken-Var looked like he wanted to punch someone.
Arven said, “And she estimates her lifespan to conclude in fifteen years.”
Aken-Var frowned.“Bring me the seed of life.I need to speak to her.”
Soven said, “Gertrude, is Chloe awake?”
“Yes, she is.Thank you for checking.I have sent her a message asking her to come here.”There was a pause.“She is on her way.She doesn’t sleep much.”
Aken-Var asked questions about Margo’s time on the stations, but he got angry when they answered him.It was an odd reaction for a male who could have any unmarked female he wanted.
