Page 59 of Her Alien Cyborgs
“How bad is this going to be?” she asked.
“Tyran wants to tie the Barrios idiot up in his own red tape and kick him out an airlock, and he’s normally the diplomatic one. The colonel keeps trying to pull rank and make demandsas if this was a human colony or somewhere under corporate control.”
“How’s the empress taking it?”
“About as well as you’d think. Neha is proud, stubborn, and can be a bit of a bitch, but that might be my bias talking. Our first meeting was not a good one, and I am known for holding a grudge. I think her biggest problem is that she’s spent most of her life surrounded by sycophants and courtiers currying favor. Tyran likes to say that she rules by committee, and I have to agree with him. The thing is, the committee she relies on for advice is full of assholes.”
“How is she dealing with the news that her own citizens have been cloned and experimented on?” Hezza needed to know what they were walking into, and so far, it wasn’t sounding good.
“She’s livid. So is Tyran. At first, we all assumed the DNA came from Haven, but we’ve done biopsies on the cyborgs in cryo, and none of them are a match to the beings here.”
“That means the donors are citizens of the empire?”
Phaedra nodded. “Most likely. Yes. And some of them are shedding their scales about it. It’s pretty easy to tell who is sympathetic to the Liq’za when they keep going on about the risk of tainting thegenetic perfectionof the Vardarian race. For some of these beings, it is more upsetting to think that the old bloodlines might have been mixed with inferior families than the idea of someone being cloned and enslaved.”
Now came the dangerous question. “Is the empress one of those beings?”
To her relief, Phaedra shook her head. “I don’t think so. But she’s adopted some of the terms. Tyran is beside himself about it. They’ve never seen eye-to-eye on everything, but this is new. Their mother used to run interference, but she didn’t accompany Neha this time. I get the feeling some of her companions convinced her she needed to do this on her own.Which of course, really meant they could influence her without her mother being around to stop it.”
“What is she going to do with the cyborgs? The new ones?”
Phaedra flashed a tight smile. “I wish I knew. The one thing I am certain about is that she has no intention of letting the IAF or any corporation have them.”
“That’s a good start.”
“It’s something,” Phaedra agreed. “One more thing before we get inside. Neha wasn’t ready to take the throne when their father died. She thought she had more time. Decades more. She wanted Tyran to stay and help her lead their people. He refused because he knew she needed to stand on her own or she’d never let him leave.”
Hezza nodded. “I’ve heard the stories. I know she wasn’t thrilled about his relationship with Braxon or that his mate is human.”
“Neha isn’t a terrible being, but she’s struggling to find her way right now, and that’s causing problems. She adores her niece, though, and she’s warming up to me, so there is hope. She’s been fed a lot of poison. I’m just not sure how we help her see that.”
Hezza had several suggestions, but they ran out of time before she could voice them, which was probably for the best. A pointy-toed boot planted in the imperial derriere was not exactly a diplomatic solution.
Two Vardarian guards in body armor emblazoned with a crest she didn’t recognize bowed to the prince and then stepped aside, letting them pass through a pair of double doors and into a medium-sized meeting room.
It was a relatively mundane space with a simple blue patterned carpet, white walls, and the high ceilings typical of Vardarian architecture. Several long tables had been set up in aline across the far end of the room, and a number of beings were already seated.
She recognized Denz, Raze, and all the other members of Haven’s leadership council. Seated at the far end was Barrios and a small group of IAF officers, all in dress uniform. Seated beside the colonel was an unexpected surprise. Lieutenant Commander Heath.
“What’sshedoing here?” Hezza hissed at Phaedra.
Tyran, whose hearing was almost as good as a cyborg, heard her question and quickly realized who Hezza meant.
He scowled, flared his wings slightly, and gestured toward the group of IAF members. “Why is Lieutenant Commander Heath here? She’s already threatened my guests once already.”
Barrios stiffened. “She is my second in command. Any interaction she had with that woman and those mach…” He cut himself off and started again. “Prince Tyran. You said I could choose who could accompany me to this meeting. Once I learned she was in the system, I asked her to join me as soon as possible.”
Hezza had never been in the presence of someone who actually had an aura of power about them. Tyran did. All eyes were on him as he considered the colonel’s answer. She could feel the disapproval radiating from in waves as he stared for several long seconds at the colonel and his party.
“I will hold you accountable for her behavior, and when this meeting is over, I expect her to depart immediately and return to your ship.”
“I…yes. Of course. She’ll leave when I do.” Barrios sat back in his chair, almost vibrating with unspoken outrage.
With that dealt with, Hezza checked out the rest of the guests. In the center of the table was a female Vardarian who had to be Empress Neha. She had silver scales and gemstones woven into her long, dark hair.
“Sister,” Tyran spoke in a loud, polished tone as he approached the table. “I have brought Captain Bratt and the two cyborg prisoners she freed to meet with you.”
There were audible gasps and murmurs from the Vardarians seated on either side of the empress. Hezza assumed these were her advisors.
