“Z-Corp.”
“Oh, so no deli containers.Fancy case it is.”
“What’s the ETA?”
“Two hours from when I get the list.”
“Coming through.”She sent the file.
“Oh.Easy.I have this in my stash.I will get back to you in ninety minutes.I stashed this behind Avik.”
Diena laughed.“Talk to you later.”
Zera was staring.“You have this available?”
“Yeah.But it is behind Avik, and no one wants to wake her up.”
Jenaki cleared his throat.“What is she?”
“Cranky,” Diena said blandly.“She is a female with alpha characteristics, is in perpetual heat like an omega, and manifests blades.Very irritated but fun at parties.”
Zera’s mouth opened in surprised.“What the actual fuck?”
“Oh, Maro was trying to build the perfect woman for his new empire.He did it with tethers, torture, and genetic alteration.If you start with female children who are from sturdy stock, you can do a lot.He was sharing the harvesting with Uradda.”
Zera froze.“Where did the girls come from?”
“Some were Uraddan, but so many more were from the Sethir-Nin.Like my mom, Alody.She was sold to the capitol, and worked there for years, and when they had me, they thought they could sell her to the empire, and she would disappear.She did for a while.He kept her in stasis until he could have a protocol designed to deal with her.She got loose, and he learned that my family is not to be messed with.”
She grinned.“This year, I finished the job, and now it is Khaskik again with the history and those statues of the empress everywhere.I think Maro just liked looking at nearly naked women.”
Zera blinked.“What do the marks mean?”
“Each one is representative of a type of active who is linked to the empire.She wears them on her skin.So, technically, you are coming by it honestly, so to speak.”
Zera blinked.“How do you know that?”
“One, when I said empress, Torun’s brain lit up with a very specific image.Two, I can see the power signatures moving on your skin, and three, your brain lit up with a very specific image.”
Zera blinked.“No one can read my mind.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t say that anymore.They don’t just make anyone a mostly naked empress.”
Jenaki snorted.“It is a specific distinction.”
Zera stared and looked at him.“You’re Khaskik?”
“Me and my community ran to Renovik.They offered us safety and an escape from Maro’s plans.Some of our best and brightest remained behind to distract him, but the rest of our parents ran for the frozen country, and our people survived.”He squeezed her hand.“Imagine my surprise when our empress walked into the clinic.”
Diena heard her com chirp, and she checked it.“The minerals are measured and arranged.Let me know when the contract and financing are in place.They have already been refined and are pure.That is also what Avik does.”
She smiled and got to her feet.“I am busy today unless you want to come by the new playpark.You can meet my little brother.”
Zera blinked.“You have the minerals after one call?”
“The tricky part was getting them past Avik.She can purify with her hands.It’s fun.”Diena checked her com.“Well, I have to go.I suppose you need my contact information.”
They swapped information, and Zera said, “I will come to you with the contract and transfer if that is easier for you.”
