Page 59 of Infala: Bonded to the Enemy
Zorx didn’t seem to care, judging by the speed with which he devoured it and the happy, yum-yum sounds he made.
“That was fantastic.”
“Really? I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you for testing it for me. I really appreciate your honest opinion,” she said, then cleared the dish, moving to gather the others still needing cleaning. “Now, I really do need to get this cleaned up. I wouldn’t want do draw Commander Valin’s wrath for slacking on my job.”
“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Zorx said as he rose to his feet. “Valin’s a big fella, but he’s no Dohrag. Not entirely, anyway. He plays the part, but I don’t think he’s got the passion or drive to actually harm a prisoner. For all the talk, he’s almost a pacifist as far as I can tell.”
Shalia thought of the four dead bodies cooling in the kitchen at this very moment but held her tongue.
“Well, regardless, I’d best get this done. But thank you, really. I’ll make sure you get a large helping when I roll this out for the whole crew.”
Zorx nodded and headed out, his belly happy and feeling a strange fondness for the woman he’d simply come to ogle. It was a trick Shalia had learned early on in her life. Ask someone to do you a favor and act very appreciative, if at all possible. Theywould then subconsciously be invested in your success and would perceive you in a different light.
It was some Dale Carnegie mindfuckery, but it worked. Being an attractive woman on a ship crewed only by men didn’t hurt either, butthisparticular trick didn’t rely on feminine wiles. In fact, it could sometimes turn an unwanted suitor into a friend. Well, almost. If not that, they could at least be downgraded to a somewhat less assertive suitor. It really depended on the man and his interest and persistence.
Regardless, Zorx left her alone, and that was what mattered. Shalia worked fast, stacking the remaining dishes, and hauling them into the kitchen for cleaning. To her surprise, Valin was already loading the ones she’d previously collected into the sterilizing device.
Epic fucking, bodyguard extraordinaire,andhe did dishes? Oh, there was no way she was letting this one out of her sight.
“Thanks.”
“Of course. It behooves us to put all in order as quickly as possible so we can proceed. I’ve done what I can to conceal the bodies should anyone look in at a glance. But if someone enters, I’m afraid there is simply no way to fully hide them.”
Shalia glanced at the whirring machine, a disgusting but interesting idea forming. Valin saw her staring and shook his head.
“No. I know what you’re thinking, but the sterilization unit is calibrated specifically not to dissolve Dohrag flesh.”
“So wait a minute.Icould have lost a hand in that thing, but the rest of the crew would have been fine?”
“Yes.”
“Why the hell was I the one working on it then?”
“Shalia, it is simply the way things are done.”
She knew he was right, just as she knew it made no sense to argue about it. What was done was done, and whatever the former paradigm had been, that had all been turned on its head.
“Come on,” Valin said, taking her hand in his. “We’ve done all we can. Odds are in our favor that no one will venture into thekitchen until they find themselves without breakfast in the morning.”
“But they’ll come looking for us.”
Valin smiled. “By then, it will be too late.”
He released her hand before they reached the corridor, just in case they came across a crewmember. She fell in two steps behind him as he led the way. It was a winding route, and they crossed through several parts of the resupply station she’d never seen before. He left most things behind, but he did grab a rifle and pistol, as well as a few knives and some basic wilderness gear.
“But the shuttles are gone,” Shalia said as she watched him put together what looked an awful lot like a survival kit. “You said it yourself, there’s no way off this platform.”
“The shuttles are gone, true. And that means the crew are stranded up here until the admiral’s ship arrives. Unfortunately, that looks like it’s going to be a lot sooner than expected. But there is a way out.Oneway out.”
“Holy shit, why hasn’t anyone used it already?”
“Because it is an escape pod, and Dohrags do not use such things. It is viewed as cowardly and weak, and it is far better to die in battle than to flee like a woman.”
“Ahem.”
“I am merely relaying what the beliefs are. Ours is a particularly macho culture, and one I do not find particularly appealing.”
She chuckled. “Good save.”
