Chapter 167: (Nakteti) (2/2)

”Well, the attentiveness to the details is flattering. These all took talent, dedication, and an investment of time. I believe I will contact some of these artists and notify them of my appreciation of their efforts,” Sangbre said, sipping at her new drink.

Nakteti just stared at her mother, unable to believe what the matron was saying.

”Close your mouth, dear,” Sangbre said. ”To quote a human saying: you'll attract flies.”

Nakteti gurgled in shock as she snapped her mouth shut and leaned back, staring at her mother with wide eyes.

”Oh, do not be so prudish, child,” Sangbre said, shaking her head. ”They are a young people. They were still hunter gathers when our people had all the comforts of advanced science. Young people are often curious, energetic, and, well, inappropriate.”

Sangbre turned to Captain Manners and twitched her ears in amusement.

”Tell me, Captain Politeness, do Terran famous people have such artwork made of them by admirers?” Sangbre asked.

”Yes, ma'am,” he said.

”Well, we have been together for the last three days. Let us add your name to the image search,” Sangbre laughed. She tossed it onto the table. ”Oh, my, they certainly have a definite opinion on you, Captain Politeness.”

The Terran's face was bright red and Major Carnight gave snorting laughter.

”Let us see what happens if we run your name and that of the Major, my dear daughter,” Sangbre said. She changed the search parameters.

”Why, my dear, it appears the two of you are as popular together and Captain Politeness and myself,” Sangbre took a long drink and leaned over slightly to give her daughter an arch look. ”Well, my daughter, what say you now?”

Nakteti was trying not to choke on her own spit at the graphically drawn lewd pornographic images of her featuring both her and Major Carnight.

”And I'm not even sure our anatomy could interact in such way,” Sangbre mused. She waved her hand, bringing up a new image, and looked at her daughter again. ”My word, Nakteti, what things you and the Terran major have gotten up to!”

Nakteti started coughing, trying to speak. Every time she almost had her breath, almost had her reactions under control, her mother would bring up a new image and ask her or Major Carnight if they had actually tried that or if it was imagination.

Finally, unable to take the teasing anymore and feeling like she was going to faint from embarrassment, Nakteti fled to her own room.

Sangbre watched her daughter flee, sipping at her drink. She looked at Major Carnight.

”My daughter is easily flustered, is she not?” Sangbre asked.

”Yes, ma'am,” Major Carnight said carefully.

”It is good that I am here, Major,” Sangbre said. ”My daughter is reaching for the stars, completely unaware that sometimes they are in the gutter for ease of reach. Tarnished, a little dirty, perhaps, but a star all the same.”

She waved her hand at the holotable, dismissing the images.

”The location tags on some of those images were hundreds of light years away. She neglected to see that. Every one of them was hand drawn based on the public relations pictures and videos of her, as well as the stuffies. People drew them, imagined them and created them,” Sangbre shook her head, looking out at the lights of the city. ”What was it you told me about humans when we watched that love story, when I asked why a human would fall in love with another species?”

”We are often lonely and pack bond with anything,” Captain Manners said.

”Did you know I looked it up online? There was a much better saying,” Sangbre said, sipping at her drink and watching the fireflies of small vehicles move around.

”What saying was that, ma'am?” Major Carnight asked.

”When encountering something new humans ask themselves only a few questions, these questions will decide that objects fate,” Sangbre said. ”Can I eat it, use it to improve my life, packbond with it, or engage in sexual intercourse with it? If all of it is no, can I break or kill it?”

Sangbre shook her head. ”A simple philosophy. Eat, bond, breed, create, destroy, kill. Simple and effective enough that your people have come so far that I find myself in awe of you,” she said. She lifted out a piece of fruit and nibbled on it for a moment.

”Was I shocked at those images? At first. For a few seconds,” Sangbre said. She looked at Major Carnight. ”But I was not offended.”

She hummed to herself, stirring her drink.

”I tested my daughter. She, like many of our people, like most Tnvaru, did not do well when confronted by something shocking,” she mused. She looked at the two escorts. ”I am not denigrating my daughter. She is a fine captain and she chose her crew wisely. I doubt any other crew, any other captain, of all the Tnvaru, would have survived that first ambush.”

She looked back at the skyline.

”I am here now. I will guide her, instruct her, on how to keep others from seeing her distress,” Sangbre nodded. ”I will teach her to wear the crown she is busy crafting, unaware that it is her brow it will rest upon.”

She stirred her drink again.

”She cannot afford innocence and niavety, not now,” she said softly. ”Not when the Confederacy is about to go to war.”

”Ma'am?” Major Carnight said.

”It's just the inebriated ramblings of an old woman,” Sangbre stirred her drink. ”The Lanaktallan will never allow you to continue without their oversight, without their Council making all the decisions for your people,” she spit off the railing in disgust, watching the saliva crackle away on the shielding. ”They will destroy you before they allow you or your allies to retain your freedom.”

She sipped her drink.

”You can bet your gripping hands on that.”

Beyond her the lights of the city kept moving.

”Neither of you is safe while the other exists,” she said softly.