Kaur pulled Kaau li to her feet with more urgency than she had expected. Leading her past the service bot, he pulled aside one of the more gruesome tapestries to reveal a door behind it. This one didn\u2019t have an old-fashioned latch, but a modern retina scanner. Kaur leaned forward, his dark eyes open, while it verified his identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaau li was surprised at the technology. Even though Kaur had the means for much more aboard the ship, he didn\u2019t trust it, and therefore rarely used it. Unless he was inside his combat armor, and then he trusted it implicitly. She shook her head. The man was full of contradictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The door beeped and opened. Kaur wasted no time, pulling Kaau li through it and into a new corridor. This one was brighter than the others in this section of the ship. It smelled fresher too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He led her through a new labyrinth, and once again, Kaau li was lost. But she strode along beside him, keeping her fear at bay. Whatever Kaur was about to show her was important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As they walked, his scowl deepened. Finally, he turned aside down a final corridor with dark walls like in the older parts of the ship. Apparently, renovations were incomplete. But the door he brought her to was modern, with another retina scan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside, the lights were dim, glowing yellow from the floor and casting moving shadows on the walls. Kaau li paused to let her eyes adjust, but as they did, a feeling of horror settled on her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shapes were floating in the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human shapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaur took her arm and led her to the nearest one. She had an overwhelming desire to pull away. But, fearing his reaction more than what she would see, she suppressed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a clear cryogenics tube, filled with liquid. A woman floated inside, dressed in a robe and hooded cloak. A yellow light shone from the bottom of the tube as if she were an exhibit on display in some sort of terrifying, macabre museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hood half-covered her face, but it was fine as porcelain with a thin scar running down across her right eye. The face drew Kaau li to it, a hideous sight she couldn\u2019t turn away from. She didn\u2019t know why, though. The woman didn\u2019t look like she was in pain. Her eyes were closed as if she slept, which was exactly the purpose of a cryogenics tube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What horrified Kaau li, though, was the smug look on Kaur\u2019s face as he gazed at the woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And there were more. Six more. What was Kaur doing with all of them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy collection,\u201d he said triumphantly, sweeping his hand around the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho are they?\u201d Kaau li whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy wives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room turned cold as his words sunk in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour\u2014\u201d Her throat went dry. Why, exactly, had he brought her here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaur laughed, causing Kaau li to wince. Since he rarely even smiled, a laugh was more alarming than if he\u2019d struck her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, my Kali,\u201d he said when he finished laughing. \u201cI am not going to make you my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to take that as a compliment,\u201d she said weakly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you want to know why I brought you here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because he needed a curator for his exhibit? Kaau li had a horrifying image of herself trapped in this room forever, caring for the wives day after day. Although what they could need while they were in the cryo tubes, she had no idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d she forced herself to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey are a crucial element in an event I\u2019ve been planning for years. Ever since I took over the Star Wraith<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaau li wished he would stop talking. She\u2019d wanted to distance herself from him, not learn his secret plans. But he was inviting her to ask questions, and she had little choice. \u201cWho are they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGalaxy Wizards. Well, not fully. They should have been Galaxy Wizards. But for one reason or another, the Temple never found them, and they never received the empire\u2019s training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaau li\u2019s eyes widened, and she peered at the women again. \u201cYou persuaded untrained magic users to marry you?\u201d She cringed then, hoping she hadn\u2019t offended Kaur. But what was he doing with them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, they weren\u2019t untrained when they went into the cryo tubes,\u201d Kaur said with a smug look on his face. \u201cEach one became powerful in her own right. When I tracked them down, they were all disillusioned with the empire, with being constantly sought after by the Galaxy Wizards. And I offered them safety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pirate said this last bit quietly, as if he was genuinely humbled by his own part in the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaau li cleared her throat. \u201cYou\u2026 you married them all at once?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaur barked a laugh. \u201cNo, one at a time, over several years. Officially, they just disappeared from the empire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaau li shuddered. \u201cAnd you married them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI seduced them, yes.\u201d Kaur\u2019s dark eyes glittered. \u201cAnd once I was certain of their loyalty, I brought them here for safekeeping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like he seduced me, she thought. More than anything, Kaau li regretted letting herself be taken in by his power and his charm. Because Kaur could<\/em> be charming when it suited his purpose. If she had known where to run, she would have already bolted out of the room. Instead, she dragged her eyes away from the trapped women and faced him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy did you show me this?\u201d If the Pirate King was revealing secret plans to her, he wasn\u2019t planning on letting her leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese women will serve a purpose,\u201d he said. \u201cThey all have special abilities. They can wield their power like other Wizards have not been able to do in a thousand years. That is why they refused to join the Temple, because they knew they wouldn\u2019t be allowed to use the full measure of their power. Or to use it as they saw fit. The Order would forbid them from doing anything with their magic that wasn\u2019t sanctioned by the emperor. And I, of course, offered them that freedom. So in a few years, when I am ready, they will lead my armies into battle against the empire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWill they be willing after being in hibernation for so long? Did they know they were going into the cryogenic chambers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey knew, in part. They knew that my road to overthrowing the empire could take years, and they were willing to wait until I needed them. For now, they are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaau li didn\u2019t know whether to believe him or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt will be a great honor for them,\u201d he continued. \u201cOnce I have assumed the imperial throne, they will be my stewards, governing the far-flung reaches of the empire by proxy. And they will continue to lead my armies against anyone who defies me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaau li had no love of the empire, especially since she made a living thwarting it. But the picture of Pirate Kaur as emperor, terrorizing the Core planets and the Outer Colonies, left her with a feeling of revulsion. What kind of world would that be for raising a child?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or for living at all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope you’re enjoying this story! Feel free to leave a comment below if you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until next time, Kaau li paused to let her eyes adjust, but as they did, a feeling of horror settled on her. Shapes were floating in the light. Human shapes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53,"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions\/53"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/machinations.wilhelminakirk.com\/machinations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\n
Wilhelmina<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"