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handle.
Mutual frustrations? Could he really stand there and called the intimacies they shared
mutual frustrations ? She was almost tempted to call Gamlez in just so he could shoot some sense
THE COMMANDER S SLAVE KS Augustin 1
into the head of the man she loved.
Man she loved. Still loved. Would always love. But certainly not if he was going to continue
along this path.
What if I could offer you and your men a way out?
His laugh was full of cynicism. Of course. Land in that wonderful ship of yours and do
what, Arais? Take us away from all this? His hand swept the recycled cargo bay that doubled as
his quarters. Help us perpetuate our species? Get justice against the Lasc Prein?
She raised her voice over his objections. I mentioned once the possibility of an enquiry
sub-committee in the Fusion s Lower Convergence. The beginning of an investigation into what
happened to the Seti home world.
If we could ever find a sponsor.
We are willing to sponsor you.
That stopped him. He looked for the jest but her expression was serious. You?
I have spoken to the Dowager Eminence, ruler of Fa Drunn. My aunt, she explained.
She s agreed to sponsor your request, in return for ....
Ah, the catch. He knew there would be one. His lips twisted.
Well, to put it simply, we need your men.
As cattle? As slaves? Then he winced as the word left his mouth.
As partners, she countered. As husbands. As fathers.
He shook his head. I don t understand.
Arais pulled the pad out from her skirt pocket. Your planet was destroyed in a single act of
unspeakable violence, while ours is dying over generations. Almost six hundred years ago, the
males of our species contracted a virus that led to extensive chromosomal damage. Our ancestors
did what they could, saving genetic material for the future, but the constant cloning of material and
recessive immune traits introduced an increasing degree of genetic error in succeeding generations.
Quite simply, we have very few men left on our planet. We need more.
Breeding stock? Could it be true that Arais people were searching for the same solution for
a different problem?
We are prepared to deal fairly, Arais continued. All the conditions are outlined on this
pad. She left it on his desk. Re-education programs for those who want it, available land and
opportunity for new business ventures. You ll find our medical and technological facilities are of
the highest standard. Your men will want for nothing.
But Tangus saw her hesitation. There s a condition isn t there?
Yes. The dowager had refused to compromise on this point. At least eighty percent of
your men must contract a parenting agreement with our citizens and produce at least one child
within three years of such an agreement.
And of course you know we are basically genetically compatible because ....
He saw her flush, and inexplicably, it cheered him. So she wasn t as impassive as she
appeared.
Of course, I took Doctor Zehnda s initial analyses into account.
For the first time since he eyed that glorious ship descending, Tangus relaxed.
What do these women of your planet look like? Do they look like you?
We have variations, the same as on any planet. She touched her coiffed hair. My coloring
is the most common. My cousin, Onduin, is as fair as sunlight, but there are many who are more
exotic.
He leaned against the wall and folded his arms.
But eighty percent? That s a very high proportion.
She hesitated, unsure. I m sorry, but Her Eminence is immovable on that point. Perhaps if
some couples produced more than one child in the stipulated three years, we could negotiate
something.
THE COMMANDER S SLAVE KS Augustin 1
And when would we have to give you an answer?
Arais was floored by the question. In her musings, she had imagined handing the pad over to
Tangus and him jumping for joy and ordering immediate evacuations. Things weren t working out
she way she had planned at all.
I was hoping for a quick answer.
I see.
She really didn t know men at all, Tangus concluded. A whole planet of women who looked
even vaguely like her? To have a life again, with new families and old friendships. To not be
forgotten. Did she really think he could even hold back the stampede once he announced the
proposal?
He straightened and walked over to her, circling her slowly, breathing in her scent. How he
had missed her! Missed her like the beating of his heart or the pulsing of blood through his veins.
But he had to ask one burning question, even though he knew he didn t want to hear the answer.
And what about us?
Us?
His heart broke in two as he circled.
I presume that there s some marriage arranged for you. That s how things normally work,
isn t it? An arranged royal marriage that he was now sure he had ruined through the taking of her
virginity. Part of him wanted to howl his despair, while another part wondered how he could offer
himself as a substitute. Could he imagine waking up next to his woman for the rest of his life?
Could he contemplate the alternative, the despair of the last two months compounded by decades?
But most importantly, would she even want to have anything to do with him after what he had put
her through?
He spun her around, holding her by her arms and looking deep into her soft amber eyes.
I m sorry, he told her.
She looked dazed. Sorry?
Dammit, Asha-Arais, if you want me to beg, I ll do it. Put a collar around my neck, I ll do
that too. I & it look a long time but I realize now I can t live without you. I only wish we could
have met under better circumstances. I wish I could have shown you the man I once was. I wish &
I wish many things. But as demanding as I was, as selfish as I was, believe me when I tell you that,
no matter what happens, I will never stop loving you.
The transformation was astounding. Her eyes lit up and her face opened, releasing tension
he hadn t realized was there until it was gone.
If there s any way you could regard me as your prospective mate, I ll be your slave, he
murmured as he bent and nuzzled her neck. Anything, as long as I don t lose you again.
I do have one condition, she whispered.
Anything.
She moved away and reached into her skirt pocket, this time bringing out a length of silken
cord. She lifted an eyebrow.
They didn t emerge from his quarters for more than an hour and the celebrations lasted well
into the moon s long night.
The End
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