Taken by the Admiral by Sue Lyndon Page A

eyed the small language chip Cavvik held in his palm.
    “You won’t feel a thing. I’ve personally implanted language chips in over a dozen human females.” He inserted the chip into the implanter device and pressed it to her temple. The lights on the implanter device flashed, and the chip, visible through the clear portion at the end, disappeared in a flash of light. “There. All done. It takes about a day for it to become fully circuited to your brain, but I imagine by this time tomorrow, you will be able to easily converse with me, and anyone else, in the Varishan tongue.”
    “Well, you were right. It didn’t hurt. Just felt a little tingly for a second.”
    Cavvik helped Lia off the exam table and ushered her out of the medical facility he kept fully stocked and functional in his home. He had inherited dozens of servants from his grandfather, and he kept the medical facility running at all times, staffed with two robotic doctors that would activate when needed, to see to the needs of those he employed. The servants remained in his home of their own free will and he paid them handsomely. Long ago, his people had kept slaves rather than servants, but the slavery had been outlawed before his lifetime.
    Lia’s shoes clicked on the floor as she slipped ahead of him to walk out onto the veranda. She gazed up at the stars in open wonder.
    “I like that they aren’t moving,” she said. “They don’t streak by in an endless stream of white lights, you know? They stay in one place. So beautiful. Everything about this place is beautiful.”
    “I agree, but you’ve had a long day, sweet human. You must get your rest. Tomorrow I will show you the walking paths that wind through the forest, as well as the lake. I’ve already extended the soundwave barriers around it, so you won’t have to worry about any of the forest beasts bothering you. We are on the most rural and untamed mountain on Varishema, but I promise you are perfectly safe here, as long as you don’t venture off where you aren’t supposed to.”
    “Don’t worry, Cavvik.” She leaned against him as he took her in his arms. They stared at the stars together. “I’ve no wish to come face to face with some terrifying animal, though I’m curious about the smaller and less deadly creatures of the forest. I’ve never seen an animal before; in pictures, yes, but not in real life. None were taken on the Constantina , only frozen embryos of animals the planners wished to breed on whatever planet we landed on.”
    “Speaking of the Constantina , I’ve received word that the worldship has left Varishan space.” Cavvik had promised to never lie to her, and he knew she would inevitably ask about the fate of her people soon. Better to tell her now than later.
    “Are they close to a habitable planet?” The moonlight reflected off her pale face. She grew tense as she waited for his answer, stiffening noticeably in his arms.
    “Yes, however their sensors are still malfunctioning and they might pass it by. We will watch them as long as we can, but eventually they will be beyond Varishan sensors.”
    “Fuuu—er, I mean, stupid . Stupid Captain Renard.” She pushed away from him and ran a hand through her long golden locks. “My grandfather too. He was just as bad. My people might have already found a new home if not for the stubborn ignorance of those in command. I hope there’s another mutiny soon, a successful one.”
    “We have sent one last message to the Constantina , with a map detailing the closest habitable planets and the regions of space occupied by aggressive aliens they will want to avoid. The message is coded to go through the personal communication systems, rather than to command. No one in a command position will receive it, and it will be up to the civilians of the ship to take matters into their own hands. We normally don’t interfere in the lives of aliens passing through our territories, but I ordered the message be sent this morning