Page 46 of True As Steel
My heart skipped a beat as I began to suspect where this conversation might be headed.
“No,” I said firmly. “I’ve decided to follow her. As her people are currently in hiding, it is safer for Tamryn to remain here with Haelin. As I no longer have a pod, and have no way of tracking Caylan, who is damaged and currently in some kind of stasis, I will stay here with my woman and help her efforts in building the rebellion.”
“An interesting decision, but one that strikes me as illogical,” Loreus countered.
“Why? Because I’m not seeking to reunite with other Cyborgs?” I asked.
“Because you know your skills will be underused here outside of the Cyborg forces,” Loreus replied. “During the battle, both earlier and when you rescued me yesterday, you were as crippled as I was by our inability to communicate through a neural network or the Mainframe. The Emperor isn’t going to relent until he has exterminated all of us. We need to regroup and organize if we are to defeat him. Or did I misinterpret your desire to make a difference?”
“You did not. But I can make a difference here as well,” I argued.
“You can,” Loreus conceded, “but nowhere near as great as you would with our brothers. You no longer have a pod. Ours has lost two souls, and one of my brothers holds you in high esteem. Surely you knew we would extend you an invitation to join us once I had conferred with them? Why didn’t you wait to make your decision?”
My heart leapt upon hearing him confirm what I had suspected and that a part of me had both hoped for and dreaded.
“I thought you might,” I admitted, trying to remember all the arguments that had convinced me to follow this path instead of waiting. “And yes, I won’t deny that a part of me hungers to belong again, to be part of a pod, and to have purpose.”
“But?”
“I don’t want to join a pod just for the sake of belonging,” I said. “I have tremendous respect for Dakran, and you seem like an honorable man. However, I don’t know you. I would have given my life for any of my pod brothers, not out of duty but out of love. I also don’t want to be settled on because you have a hole to plug. In many ways, joining a pod is an even greater bond than marriage. There’s no divorce. Our closed neural network will give you access to even deeper thoughts and emotions than my mate ever could.”
I sighed heavily and ran my hand over my short hair while gathering my thoughts.
“I believe I could be a great fit for your pod, but Cyborgs have a period ofcourtshipfor a reason before making that commitment,” I continued. “I cannot expect you to stay here while I get to know you guys, and it wouldn’t be fair of me to ask Tamryn to abandon her own rebellion efforts and put herself at risk chasing after something that may not even work out. What plans do you actually have?”
“I’m glad you asked,” Loreus said with a smug grin that piqued my curiosity. “If I told you that my pod would be interested in coming here, therefore giving you time for saidcourtship, would you reconsider?”
My eyes widened, and I straightened in my seat. “Okay, you’ve got me interested. Go on.”
“Haelin is correct in that she cannot hold the Ferein territory,” Loreus continued. “It is too vast to erect defensive walls around it like in Satos, and she doesn’t have the numbers to protect it. But she also cannot allow Grellik to live. If—or rather when—she kills him, she will need to seat a new leader for his territory that she can trust.”
My back stiffened, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. “And who would that be? You?” I asked, my eyes narrowing and my tone hardening.
Loreus chuckled and shook his head. “Indirectly, to the extent that I would assist,” he replied with a smirk. “I thinkyoushould take over Tarkis and the Ferein territory.”
For a split second, my brain ceased functioning as I stared at him in disbelief. Then I began running a million different possible scenarios in my mind, while failing to find the logic. Too much data was missing to fully understand his reasoning.
“Considering I have even fewer troops and resources than Haelin—meaning none whatsoever—what do you know that I don’t that would make you even propose such a thing?” I asked.
“A little over one hundred Cyborgs from our rebel network have rendezvoused on Svaalis, where my pod is currently hiding,” Loreus said. “Some of them have their spouses and families with them, and they are trying to round up more rebels. But the camps on Svaalis aren’t set up to provide for our growing numbers.”
“Whereas Tarkis already has everything we could possibly need, including a spaceport, damaged though it currently is,” I completed for him.
“Exactly, on top of one of the finest weapons factories and development facilities in the sector,” Loreus continued. “We’ve been stripped of everything. This would not only give us a massive leg up, it would also eliminate another would-be dictator, and secure the region for Haelin. We all come out winners in this.”
“The Fereins might feel differently,” I argued. “Granted, their situation is already very precarious, but whoever takes over their city will be viewed as an invader.”
“But unlike other mercs, we will not enslave them or wipe them out,” Loreus countered. “Like I said, I have my sources. Many are looking for a safe way out. Grellik already sacrificed most of his fighters. The remaining population are mostly civilians, merchants, and traders. They have no loyalty to him, only to their business. They will welcome a change of rule that can guarantee their safety and allow them to thrive peacefully.”
“Which brings us right back to why the fuck would that be me?” I challenged.
Loreus grinned and leaned back into his chair. “Because before this whole mess went down, your name had frequently been floated around for a promotion to General,” he explained. “You have led countless successful missions, many of which you planned and strategized. We are preparing for a massive war. We need someone the troops will agree to follow.”
“And you choose a loyalist?” I asked with disbelief.
He huffed and waved a dismissive hand. “That was your past life. You are not the only one who remained loyal. What matters is now and the future,” he said forcefully. “That you have earned the trust of a Narengi who is swimming neck deep in the rebellion is all the validation you require. We need the troops to get organized and a safe place where other rebels and Cyborgs can rally.”
“So, am I correctly understanding that you want me to organize our military forces, and you would run the city?” I asked.