Engineered Empress - The story of Bia

Engineered Empress Part 22

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Hunters Back, my great grandma decided with the increase of pirate activities all kids of my generation needed to learn to defend ourselves. I was the runt of the litter and it stuck with me. I am not quite a social creature, but it was fun and helped me often enough with the bully crowd." Bia explained draining glass after glass of oil, glad by the smell of it that Ceri stunted her taste receptors. She tilted her head and asked him.

"Why did you leave the military?" He rotated his shoulder, grabbed his neck in memory and said.

"I got hurt badly years ago because our intel was wrong, then my superior got booted to make room for a fast tracked relative of a general. When my contract was over, I couldn't ignore the situation anymore. They risked our lives for that idiot too often, so I left. I tried myself a bit as a local security guard but then my niece Gwen got missing. I investigated and found out about this ship, build a false identity and let them hire me, to find her on Wandu." Bia locked at him.

"Somehow we need to come up with a plan, I have friends coming to get me. They are here about 2 days later than we arrive. Hell, I could probably buy myself if it's not too much. I would prefer to leave this chip with Valerie before the landing, but if not, I need a plan." Allistor watched her wearily, rubbed his head and said.

"Here's the thing. I don't know you, you seem honest and honorable, but you are weird Suspiciously so. How can I trust your help? Stars, I can literally see how you replenish your body with that oil. Are you even human?" Bia sighed loudly.

"Ceri, can you dispatch some cells for a memory lock to keep him from talking about it? I need his trust and I see no other way to explain all this." "Yes, I have the resources for that. Do you just want me to block him from speaking about it like a NDA or do you want a full node?"

"NDA for now. Let's see how he takes it."

"Apropos take it... how should I dispatch the cells? Mouth or blood, he also has syn skin."

"Blood should be okay. I prick my left index finger. I don't think Damon would like me kissing another man, even for survival when there are other methods. But please look if there is another time bomb in his blood while you there, I am not sure I trust the military." Ceri snickered at her.

"He will appreciate that."

"Allistor, I'm human, probably more than you. If you want to know more, I need your solemn oath to never talk about what I'll tell you, and..." he interrupted her gruffly.

"I swear I won't talk about ..." Bia shook her head and continued on.

"Allistor, hear me out. We have a very barbarian custom for oaths on Hunters Back. You will cut yourself and place a few drops of your blood in this glass, and I do the same with the tea. It's about having part of the other person in one self, so we drink it to show acceptance of each other. That way if you betray me, you also betray a part of yourself. Agreed?" Bia asked. Allistor looked annoyed but agreed. Bia cut her left index finger dropping Ceri's cells into the tea, while he did it also. They swapped, drank and he swore

"By your barbarian customs and my honor, I will not talk about whatever you tell me with any third party."

"Thank you Allistor."

"Yeah, yeah... now spill. How the hell are you doing all of this?" She took a deep breath.

"I was born not only with my weird looks but other genetic defects. One of them a very rare form of leukemia. I don't know how or when exactly, but somewhere before my 4th birthday I contracted something like a symbiont. She cured me and that was it, until I got myself a DOA last year. Able to use the interface to ask me for my agreement to make contact, Ceri contacted me. I now have a living sentient being from another species in me." Allistor sat back and stared at her.