nearest speaker. “There is not a bug, insect, or arachnid anywhere within the confines of my hull. I employ a fleet of robotic vacuums and various sanitary measures to ensure my ship is clean. You could polish the entire cargo hold deck with your tongue and not pick up a single germ.”
“Ew, Viggo,” Bonita said.
“I am offended and affronted.”
“We have some unfinished business with some pirates in this system,” Bjarke said, ignoring Viggo’s outburst. “We want to lure them into attempting to board a ship that will, unbeknownst to them, be full of knights—” he touched his chest and waved at Asger, “—genetically modified warrior women—” a wave toward Qin, “—and crushers.”
Bonita wondered if two knights and one warrior woman qualified as full of, but she merely watched the exchange. This was what they had wanted. A chance to help Qin, and if it could be done without risking the Dragon, she would be pleased. But she couldn’t imagine this supposed queen handing over a ship worth tens of millions of Union dollars.
“You want to use my ship as a Trojan Horse?” Dya demanded.
“Exactly.” Bjarke smiled and bowed. “Your command of Old Earth history is excellent.”
Dya might have been checking him out earlier—she’d also given Asger a long examination when he’d come over—but she looked too smart, and was likely far too old, to be taken in by a handsome smile.
“Maybe we could just borrow some of her shiny hull bits,” Bonita said, “and stick them on my ship to make it look modern and expensive.”
Dya gave her a scathing look. “Those are laboratory-grown adamantem potentia crystals. They have a purpose. They deflect radiation away from the hull of the ship. They’re cutting edge.”
“And shiny.”
“I’m not sure you’re helping,” Bjarke murmured.
“She wasn’t going to give you her ship anyway.”
“That is correct. I’d possibly give him a ride in it if he was willing to put that tongue to use.” Dya’s gaze flicked toward Asger. “If either of them were. Or both.”
“Bjarke’s tongue is typically only used to deliver biting sarcasm.” Bonita had recently learned it had a few other uses, but she didn’t want to encourage this self-proclaimed queen.
“Perhaps she wants him to use it to polish her deck,” Qin said.
“I do not recommend it,” Viggo said. “I am positive the deck on that ship would not be as germ-free as mine.”
“You’re an odd lot of people, aren’t you?” Dya asked.
“If we agreed to visit you on your yacht, would you also allow our crushers to visit and be willing to set a course past the Druckers’ noses?” Bjarke asked.
Bonita elbowed him. The rest of the delegates had started muttering at this deviation from the gate topic, and they drifted away, speaking and gesturing among themselves.
Dya tapped her chin thoughtfully. “The Druckers have committed crimes in my territory in System Hind, including robbing from my automated mining ships. I hadn’t realized they were trapped in this system.”
“Two of their ships are,” Qin said, a hint of hope brightening her eyes.
Bonita wanted to tell her to quash that hope, that they couldn’t trust this Dya even if she changed her mind about working with them, but maybe she would be proven wrong. If Dya hated the Druckers, might she consider this?
“If you attacked two of them,” Dya said, “and somehow managed to take them over or destroy them, you’d have to deal with the other three as soon as the gate is fixed. The brothers are vengeful.”
“So we’ve heard,” Bonita said.
“They would have to come to the Kingdom to challenge us,” Asger said. “When the gate is operating again, we’ll return home, stop the war, and once again have our full fleet and resources in System Lion.”
“Pirates haven’t dared encroach in System Lion for centuries,” Bjarke added. “And it would be our problem to deal with, not yours. We could let it be known that we forced or tricked you into lending us your ship. No fault would fall on you.”
“Sure it wouldn’t.” Dya snorted. “But I do not fear reprisal from scruffy pirates. I am merely debating the odds of you being successful. The Congo has some weaponry, but it is not designed to take on warships. Will your Kingdom Fleet help? I’ve noticed they have ships lurking by the gate.”
“We can handle the pirates without help,” Bjarke said.
“We’ll have allies on the inside,” Qin added.
Bonita wondered if even Qin’s sisters and Casmir’s crushers would be enough against two warships full of hundreds of pirates—hundreds of fighters—each.
After some consideration, Dya