-Another point of concern,- Shi'ala put in. -I understand that the new Empress has been sending out envoys to various human groups. I, along with my staff, believe she may be attempting the same sort of alliances that Kri'a failed to create.-
With a snort, Ara'lana waved off that idea. -
That
is one thing that I firmly believe we have nothing to worry about,- she said, laughing. -The humans have become disorganized from years of war with the Ascendancy. Their homeworld is under our control, and their government is weak. They are looking for any advantage they can get, and their aim is to try to use the division within the Ascendancy to that end. They are a suspicious race. They will be unable to trust Ailians to hold up their end of any sort of bargain. Even the humans who have allied with us are merely in it for their own selfish means. Self-preservation is the primary motivation for humans, remember that. I have made a study of understanding humans ever since first contact. Of everything I have said, I am absolutely certain.- Shi'ala did not look convinced, but she held her tongue. -The far more pressing concern is the gathering royalist forces. For that, I have an interesting solution...-
******
For all that he was paying attention to what was in front of him, Jack didn't notice the right hook coming for the side of his head. By the time he saw it approaching, it was far too late to do anything about it, and he felt a hammer blow to his skull that made him give a grunt of pain. Stars flashed before his eyes, and he was rocked to the side. Stumbling, he fell to the padded floor, one hand clapping to the side of his head as the other slapped the floor to break his fall.
“Shit!” he hissed through his teeth, squeezing his blue eyes shut as his head began to throb. He felt a little bit dizzy, but even as he registered how the room was spinning, the feeling began to subside. Jack came up to a crouch, shaking his head to clear it further, and he blinked to get the lingering sparkles out of his vision.
“Drop you hands again...”
Jack looked up at the black Ailian female standing in front of him. She was pacing back and forth three steps at a time, keeping her gaze down on him. Her tail was swishing back and forth in a manner which suggested agitation and no small amount of frustration. She was dressed in workout clothes, a black form-fitting pair of pants and a midriff-length sleeveless top. The fur on her shoulders and arms was slightly matted with sweat, but she betrayed no fatigue in either her breathing or her stance.
“Sorry, Aria,” he said. Jack rubbed his head, still feeling some of the ache from where she'd punched him. “I was trying to keep my eyes on you, and I got too focused...It's a lot to keep track of.”
“No excuse,” Aria said simply. “You need be aware everything. Not focus on one thing. Is dangerous. Stupid.” She tapped her foot, her tail still waving, but then she seemed to calm herself. As Jack watched her, she leaned over, offering him a black-dyed hand. “Up. Try again, yes? You hit me four time today. One more, we done.”
Grinning a little, Jack took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. “You make it sound so easy, Aria. You've got commando experience, and all I ever had was the basic self-defense I got in pilot training when I joined the Navy.” The human brushed a hand back through his sandy blonde hair, and he looked up at Aria's face. “Plus, it's not exactly a fair fight. You're three feet taller than me. How am I supposed to get a shot at your head if I have to jump to reach it?”
Aria blinked, and then she smiled back. Though it was as friendly a smile as always, the gleam in her yellow-gold eyes also gave her expression a predatory edge. “Then jump. Keep you hands up. Watch my body.” Without warning, she swung a hand for Jack's face, trying to strike his cheek with an open palm. This time, he brought his arms up almost as a reflex and was able to block the blow before it connected. Aria's eyes widened slightly in pleased surprise. “Better.”
For the last month, ever since the meeting when Li'ren declared that she would accept the position of Empress, Aria had been working double time as the head of the Royal Guards. From the time she woke up until the time she and Jack went to bed, usually late at night, she was either training with various squads of her soldiers or patrolling the Arbaros governess' residence, where the newly-crowned Empress Amani lived. Though the work seemed to be quite taxing on Aria, Jack got the impression that she found it very satisfying. She had started her military career as a foot soldier, and had confided in Jack that such a career had always been her first choice. While she hadn't disliked her work as patrol ship pilot, the journey from junior officer to admiral in the Ailian military, with few exceptions, began in the infantry. Although personal promotion was the last thing on her mind, considering the dire situation that her people were in, Aria was eager to demonstrate that the former Empress' faith in her had been warranted.
One aspect of her enthusiasm for her job was the training that she and Jack were currently engaged in. Near the governess' residence, built high in the trees like most other buildings on Arbaros, was a civilian police post which had been commandeered by Aria and the rest of the Royal Guards. The post was suited to their needs, and therefore had been transformed into their headquarters. The building contained offices and an armory, as well as a surprisingly impressive firing range and a well-equipped workout facility. The latter was where Jack and Aria were, in the middle of an open, padded area of the floor. With the hour so late, they had the place to themselves. No matter what sort of duties her day included, Aria always made it a point to bring Jack here for at least an hour. Some months earlier, when Jack had first come to live with her family on Lirna, he'd agreed to a few lessons from Aria in Ailian hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately, owing to how much stronger she was than him, they'd barely made it through the first lesson before Jack had to stop due to a bothersome little concussion.
This time, though, Aria had promised to hold back for him. He knew that she was worried that either he, she, or both of them were still targets for her mother. Jack had already proven that he could take care of himself before, but she still worried, so she wanted to do what she could to give him that extra edge. Over the last month he had made a lot of progress, but Aria was a tough teacher. She always found ways to challenge him, and it seemed like there was always some new move for her to pull that would throw Jack for a loop. At least he wasn't bruising as easily anymore, and he was feeling like he was in even better shape than he had been after trudging through a lost jungle planet with a pissed-off Ailian woman and wild animals trying to kill him at every turn.
Jack stepped forward towards Aria, deciding that it was time for him to take the initiative in this training session. He began throwing punches and kicks at her, which Aria handily parried and blocked. “So,” he said, in between strikes, “how are your duties going?”
“Good,” Aria said. She made a motion as though she were going to counterattack, and Jack shied back from her, shuffling to the rear and to the left. “Soldiers trained well already. Before me. Not difficult. Lirnan guards help, yes? Have good lieutenant work with me.” She swung her right foot out, trying to kick Jack in the ribs, but he dodged it. She gave a little snarl, baring her sharp teeth slightly. “Nice.”
“Family seems to be settling in,” Jack said.
Aria smiled, swishing her tail, this time in a pleasant, leisurely sway. “Is true.”
When they'd first moved to Arbaros, Aria's family had been very out of sorts and uncomfortable, especially since they had been moved into the governess' residence. That had been Empress Solan's idea, in order to give Aria the opportunity to protect her family as well as Li'ren. Aria had appreciated it, but her father and siblings found it somewhat awkward. However, they had gotten used to it over the past several weeks. A big part of that was the friendliness of Governess Amani and Li'ren. They'd both done their best to make them feel welcome, and Aria's father had even been provided with a high-quality communication terminal in his living quarters, of the kind which was usually set aside for military or diplomatic purposes. This allowed him to keep up with his business affairs, or at least the ones which were not located on Lirna. That had done wonders for improving his mood.
“I've...ah...seen Li'ren around the governess' house, too,” Jack said. “She seems like she's coping well. I can't imagine what she's been going through.”
“Empress Amani,” Aria corrected him. The same way that she had corrected him every time he referred to Li'ren by her first name. “Is more respectful, yes?”
Jack rolled his eyes, using the brief lull in Aria's attention to try to jump up and punch her on the muzzle. He couldn't be that lucky, though, and she batted his fist away. “She's not my Empress,” he said, smirking at her. “And I've always called her Li'ren. Why should I change that now?” He darted around Aria, but she spun around and kicked him in the chest. A light kick, but enough to send him back several meters.
“Males,” Aria growled, flicking her ears forward. “No respect.” She shook her head at him, then sighed her surrender on the matter. “But is true. Empress strong. And busy with work. No time for grief.”
“I don't think it's just that. She has her family. Her mother is here, and I think she talks to her brothers pretty regularly.” Jack paused, gauging Aria's stance. He noticed that she was putting her weight on her back foot, and her tail tip was twitching. She was getting ready to jump on him. Jack began slowly stepping to the side, and he saw her nod fractionally. “She's got friends, too. Sami, for instance. She's been hanging out and talking with Li'ren a lot since we arrived.”
Aria nodded again, circling around in opposition to Jack's movements. “I know. Guard captain, yes?” She waved a hand down her body, indicating her recently dyed black coat of fur. “Have to know.”
“Well, here's something you might not know,” Jack said, raising an eyebrow. “Sami is sweet on Li'ren.”
He saw Aria's eyes widen considerably, and her arms dropped a few inches as she stared at him. Taking the opportunity, Jack darted in close to the Ailian and bladed his body to one side. Before Aria could recover from her shock and react, he loaded his left leg and lifted his right, kicking out and catching Aria in the right side just under her ribs. She gave a yelp of surprise and teetered to one side, giving Jack the chance to follow up with a jab under her chin. Aria rocked back and lost her balance, falling down to the floor and landing right on her rear. Jack heard her curse and roll to her side as she grabbed for her tail, which had gotten pinned underneath her when she fell.
“Ha!” Jack crowed, flexing his fingers as the sting from striking her strong jaw dissipated. “There's number five. And number six, too, if you want to count the kick. Not bad, eh?” He straightened up and crossed his arms across his chest. “Need a hand up?”
Aria gave an abbreviated snarl and shook her head, standing up on her own as she rubbed the base of her tail. “Fine...” She touched a hand to her jaw, and there was a little pop as she opened her mouth and worked it back and forth. “That hurt. Good. You much better.” Her lips widened in a grin, and he saw that familiar spark in her eyes. His growing prowess with Ailian martial arts was turning her on. Jack still thought it was a bit strange for someone to get so aroused by fighting, but he wasn't about to complain.
“Thanks.”
“But...ah...what you say,” Aria said slowly, her smile melting away. “Not understand.”
Jack hesitated for a second. “You mean you really didn't know?” He dropped his arms, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his pants. “You can't tell me you haven't noticed. Sami talks about Li'ren all the time. Whenever I talk to her, she always tells me how much she likes talking to Li'ren and hearing stories from her about growing up in the palace. Sami admires her a lot. She's got a crush on her.”
Aria looked down at the floor, and then she turned away, going over to a padded bench and sitting on it. She seemed taken aback by what Jack was telling her, but not as much as he might have expected to see. Finally she spoke up. “Knew Sami...different. But not like that. Is...difficult.” The Ailian crossed her ankles, turning her eyes back on Jack. “You sure?”
“Well, I'm no expert on Ailian psychology, or anything like that,” Jack said, stepping over and sitting next to her. “But I know you pretty well. And I've spent plenty of time with Sami, so I think I have a good read on her.” He shrugged. “I think I'm right. I think Sami respects Li'ren's grief too much to say anything to her, but she definitely likes her.”
Taking a deep breath, Aria looked up at the ceiling. Jack could tell that it was a lot for her to absorb. He knew that same-sex attraction still held a huge stigma in Ailian culture. There had been a considerable stir about it when the news had come out to the public about the real nature of Li'ren's relationship with Kri'a. The reaction had been tempered somewhat by the way the late Empress had used his and Aria's relationship to try to build support for peace with humanity, but even so not all of the reaction had been positive. Aria was probably worried about what her sister might be subjected to if she pursued something with Li'ren.
When Aria took a while in speaking again, Jack tried to mitigate things. “I...could be wrong, I guess.”
“No...,” Aria murmured. “You right, I think.” She sighed, and then she looked over at Jack. He saw a shrewd sort of respect on her face. “You wait for good moment to tell me. Surprise me. Give you chance to strike. Sneaky.” Leaning down, she planted a kiss on his lips. At first it was just a brief one, but as she drew away she paused and then went back in, deepening it. She started purring, very faintly but enough so that Jack could hear. Aria was still keyed up from their sparring match.