Chapter Four – Bianca
She should have known what was coming would not be pleasant when all the drones around her died.
It hadn't been long after Gylden got her out of the arena that they had been called to Taskus Draw's office. As soon as they stepped in, Taskus rose his wrist and pressed a few gems on the chunky gold bracelet he was wearing. The large sapphire in the center flashed green, and the drones all fell to the ground, their lights going out.
The network host calmly walked around his desk without saying a word – and struck her hard across the cheek.
Bianca cried out. The force turned her head, and as she stumbled back from Taskus Draw, her eyes met Gylden's. There was concern in his expression, but he didn't move to defend her. For some reason, Bianca was a little hurt by that. Maybe because she had spent every second as she was being dressed (or rather, undressed) for the arena wishing she had slept with him. Drones or not, it would have been a mind-blowing experience and something to hold onto as she was prepared to die in the most sexualized, humiliating clothes possible.
Taskus Draw loomed over her. "Thanks to your little game, there were only five deaths. Five!"
"Only?" Bianca repeated. "How can you be so callous? This isn't entertainment. It's utterly barbaric, and you should be shot for murder!"
The Suesue's purple-pink skin took on an odd mauve color. This time, Bianca saw the hand before it came at her. She couldn't stop herself from flinching away from the blow. Taskus Draw grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her closer. Pain ripped through her scalp and tears filled her eyes, but Bianca ground her teeth together. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. Besides, it wasn't as bad when it was coming from someone who didn't pretend that he cared about her.
"I have a network to run here. Everything we do is perfectly legal. We have permits upon permits, and every person here is either a condemned criminal or a legal slave. Even you."
Bianca's blood boiled. "I was stolen by pirates—"
"You never went through the United Species to get your citizenship. You are my property, and I may do with you as I please. And if you ever jeopardize my ratings again, I will find a way for you to make it up."
A ball of dread sunk into Bianca's stomach at that. She had no idea what Taskus Draw might do to her to boost his ratings, but she didn't want to find out.
"Do you understand me?" the network host asked.
Bianca nodded silently. She didn’t dare say a word, not when the Suesue was staring down at her with that gleam in his eye. If he was willing to kill dozens of people in every sick 'game', then he would have no problem mutilating, torturing, or otherwise humiliating her on a public network just to get the real creeps to tune in.
Taskus Draw nodded, apparently satisfied with her submission. He stalked around his desk again and sat. Behind Bianca, Gylden stirred. She started to turn to look at him, but the Suesue cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him.
"I want to make sure that you know exactly what the stakes are here," Taskus Draw said. "Our preliminary feedback categorizes you as likable. People think you're beautiful. Many of our viewers have put in requests to see you naked again. Perhaps I will take away all of your clothes. What do you think about that?"
Bianca felt all the blood drain from her face. She scrambled back, running straight into Gylden. His arms wrapped around her, holding her fast. At first she struggled, wanting to free herself from his grip, but soon let herself sink into his strength. Whether he was holding her in place so that he wouldn't get punished with her or if he was trying to comfort her was irrelevant. He was strong, he was there, and she needed him.
"No… Too much nakedness loses its appeal."
Bianca sagged in relief.
"Besides which, there are always prudes who boycott the network if things get too graphic. However, a whipping seems like it's in order," Taskus Draw said.
"Are you sure?" Gylden's voice was even. "You said that her popularity is based on her beauty. If she is whipped, it'll mark her. Viewers might take offense to that."
Taskus Draw's eyes narrowed. "You have another suggestion?"
"Yes. You saw how she was so concerned with the others in the arena. I believe that pain put on others because of her actions will hurt her more than pain put on her. Give me the whipping."
Bianca gasped. She twisted to stare up at Gylden's face. His eyes flickered down to her briefly. She couldn’t guess what was going on in his mind.
"Why would you do that?"
"I want my viewership to increase. The public loves a good romance," Gylden continued. "She is meant to be my mate, isn't she?"
Taskus Draw steepled his fingers. He stared at Gylden for a long time before he nodded, a sly smile crossing his face. "Yes. Yes, they do. Very well. You will take her whipping for her. Now get your mate out of my sight before I decide to make it worse for her."
***
Bianca flinched as Gylden did. She had been forced to stand by and watch Gylden be whipped. Every lash had made her heart clench, and by the end of his punishment, she had been sobbing. The T'shav had leaned on her all the way back to his barracks, and once they were inside, he directed her to his medical kit.
"The bloodstore first," Gylden directed. "I've lost a lot of blood."
"Right."
Bianca pulled out the slight tube and injected it into Gylden's veins. It would restore the lost blood. Next, she began to put on the fleshseal to bind the wounds and prevent further blood loss. A quick antibac injection would clean the wounds from the inside out.
The drones were buzzing around them again. Even though Bianca longed to ask why he would take her punishment for her like that, if it was really just for the viewers or if he had another reason, she couldn't trust anything that he said when they were being spied on in such a way. Her lip trembled and she bit down hard on it.
This wasn't how she was going to live the rest of her life. She wasn't going to be a slave, always looking over her shoulder. Even if she survived the arena – if Taskus Draw decided that her popularity with the viewers outweighed his personal dislike of her for talking back to him – every aspect of her life would be on display.
Gylden could win their freedom, but she knew what that meant. The T'shav would be a trainer. Still bound to this constant cycle of death, just not facing the blade himself anymore. His life and, consequently, hers, would still be live streamed constantly. That wasn't life. That was reality TV taken to its most extreme, and she knew she couldn't live like that. She had to find a way out of this. A way to escape.
Did she dare try to bring Gylden with her?
"Do you remember your life before you came to the arena?" she asked. She finished laying the fleshseal over the last of his wounds and gave him the antibac before she found a cloth and began to wash up the blood. It was only then that she realized that her own hands were stained red. She had been too concentrated on her task before. Her stomach roiled, but she pushed her nausea aside. "Well? Do you remember anything?"
"Not enough to count. I remember my mother telling me about Starmates."
"Starmates?"
Gylden grunted. "Something about souls being born in the same star. It was long ago. I don't really remember exactly what it was. True love, I suppose is the simplest way of putting it. I just remember my mother's face when she told me. She was so happy. Almost glowing. I always wanted that. I didn't think I would find it."
Bianca's heart skipped a beat at the soft, sensual tone he used. As if he was telling her that she was his Starmate. But that had to be for the cameras, didn't it? There was no way he could actually be in love with someone he just met. This was a story for their unseen audience. She wasn't his 'one true love.'
"That should do it," she said, her voice unintentionally brusque. She threw the bloody cloth into the laundry corner, then went to wash her hands. "Do you have a regenerator?"
"Not for my personal use. I was told I will have two days to heal with regular visits to the regenerator before I have to fight again." He sat up and smiled at her. "Well worth it not to see you in pain."
"I don't know about that," Bianca muttered. "I should have been whipped, not you. I'm sorry. I wish that…"
She trailed off as a drone pushed right into her face, blocking her eye contact with Gylden. She turned her back on him and shook her head. "I'm just sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with this."
"It's worth it. You’re worth it. Now come to bed, Bianca. I might be out of the fight for right now, but I still want to work on your swordsmanship tomorrow. I won't have you getting killed in the arena." He patted the bed next to him.
Bianca stiffly joined him. She had almost slept on the floor the previous night to stop herself from giving into her sexual desire but had ultimately decided that getting no sleep while sharing a bed with a stranger – whether because she was fighting her desire or because she had given into it – was better than getting no sleep and lying on the floor. He had kept his back to her then, but now he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her snug against him.
He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She moved closer, her tense muscles relaxing.
It was going to take at least two days for her to get all the components for her EMP generator. She had the circuit from the holoscreen, but she still needed a switch, some sandpaper, and to dig out something she could use as a capacitor. Maybe she could… No. No, she couldn't get any deeper into this life she was sharing with Gylden. They had barely met.
She couldn't risk her life for his. It was harsh but true. There wasn't even any telling if he wanted to leave the network. A tear leaked from Bianca's eyes, and she squeezed them shut, hiding her face from the probe that hovered inches above her.