Page 5 of Benet

“A test, of you and me. Would I accept you as Badari, would I help you, would you survive the mob he’d assembled, what level were your skills—in Outlier there are many agendas.” Dmitri pointed his knife at Benet. “Keep the fact firmly in mind.”

“Does the warning go for anything you say too?”

“I’ve been here a long time,” the Badari said. “No doubt I’ve picked up more than a few Outlier habits but I remain true to my own kind and the principles of my goddess. We Badari have honor if nothing else.”

“The Great Mother,” Benet was on familiar ground here. “Kyden speaks of her often. I don’t know if he’s ever seen her but he planted a grove of trees in the back acreage of the House where we all live and it’s off limits to everyone but the three Badari and their mates. They go there to worship as I understand it.”

“Mates?”

“Yes, each of them has met a special woman and claimed her as their mate,” Benet confirmed.

“The goddess has blessed them then.” Dmitri stared at his plate for a long time. “I wasn’t so fortunate but then again, given my situation, probably best I not have a woman to love. The empress is a jealous bitch. This one and the three who came before her during my time here. It’s a family trait, I think.”

“How did you end up here anyway? Kyden and the other two were sold clandestinely by guards at the labs where all of you were created, or so he told me.”

“I was a gift,” Dmitri said, rubbing his chest in a gesture Benet had seen Kyden make a thousand times over the years, as if there was an ache deep in his heart. “Or a bribe. The Khagrish scientists chose me out of my entire pack and brought me here, to Outlier, to give to the woman who was empress then. They wanted a concession from her. I wasn’t exactly clear what, whether it was special equipment or rare materials or what. No one cared to explain the transaction to me—in their eyes I was simply the mindless beast being transported. The scientists thought the empress would be pleased to have her own genetically created pet. I don’t know if the Khagrish got what the scientists wanted but the empress was bored with me in two days. She gave me to her daughter, and I’ve been handed down through the generations, ending with the one who sits on the throne now. I’m an asset of the crown.”

“How old are you?” Benet eyed Dmitri’s flowing mane of silver hair. “I mean, Talinn, our newest gladiator is Generation Six.”

“I have no idea,” Dmitri answered before taking a long pull from his drink. “I think Badari can live pretty much forever if we don’t have the damn Khagrish killing us off. How old is your Kyden?”

“I don’t know the answer,” Benet said. “I don’t think he does either.”

Dmitri sat forward. “The Khagrish had a lot of trouble creating us. What they call Generation One really isn’t. The scientists had a lot of failed attempts and horrible mutations before my time, according to what I heard. My Generation was full of men who were more alien predator than human.” His expression grew distant and it was as if he was seeing the past. “They were in a lot of pain, mental and physical and of course the Khagrish protocols made it all worse. I was one of the so-called lucky ones. Whatever they needed from the Outlier was their plan for smoothing out their process and breeding us true, generation to generation.”

“The whole thing is so morally repugnant I can’t even imagine how an advanced civilization could commit such atrocities,” Benet said. “I respect Kyden and the others, and you, what happened isn’t your fault but no one should ever have to endure what those scientists put your people through.”

“Khagrish don’t think like you do,” Dmitri replied simply. “Alien, through and through.”

“But now you’re here, at this estate, guarding the duke’s daughter?”

“It’s complicated. She’s officially the ward of the Empress, even though her father is alive. She’s a Grand Duchess herself, having inherited a huge territory when her mother died. Once she gets married we’ll see if I stay assigned to her or if the empress will have a new game to play. She likes interfering with people’s lives. If you’re ever anywhere near her, take my advice and try not to draw her attention. You don’t want that. I know.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Dmitri said, “Tell me about my brothers in the Five Systems. Is this Kyden an Alpha?”

Benet thought he sounded oddly hopeful. “I call him boss myself but yeah, I’ve heard the other two refer to him as the Alpha. Like I said before, Kyden, Rennyr and Talinn don’t share Badari secrets outside their tiny circle of three and the mates.”

“Does it bother you?” Dmitri was eyeing him shrewdly.

“No. I have my own friendship with Kyden going all the way back to my first day in the arena. And I’m his executive officer at the gladiatorial house so our work relationship is solid. He’ll be searching for me and as stubborn as he is, he’ll find me, even here in Outlier.” Benet wished his confidence was as rock solid as he made himself sound.

“There’s no escape,” Dmitri said.

“I’m not staying here the rest of my life. I’ve got a good life waiting for me in the Five Systems and I intend to find a way back there.” Benet couldn’t allow himself to give up hope.

“Was there a woman for you?” Dmitri asked with what Benet was coming to understand was his usual blunt manner.

“No, I never wanted to settle down. I had a good thing going, especially after Kyden bought the House and freed us all. Top ranking in the arena brings perks, if you follow my logic. I haven’t met anyone I wanted to have more than a fling with. No mate, to use Kyden’s term.”

“How exactly do you think you’ll accomplish this escape you’ve pinned your hopes on?”

“I don’t know yet—steal a ship maybe. I can pilot.”

“How about we focus on what you were kidnapped and brought here to do?” Dmitri asked. “You have to stay alive to escape.” He finished his drink and rose. “Training starts tomorrow morning at eight. I’ll be in charge of that, never mind what the duke intended. You have a month to get ready for the Games and it won’t be easy.”

“I pick things up fast,” Benet assured him. “Especially if I’m not hung over from cryosleep. What kind of games are these? Combat like today?”

“I’ll answer all your questions tomorrow morning,” Dmitri said. “Stay out here as long as you like. There aren’t any night-biting insects on Throne. Try to make peace with your current destiny as I had to do—it’ll make the challenges ahead of you go more easily.”

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