Under By Treaty (SciFi Romance) Read Free

that will not hold back, unlike before. Surrender hostilities, pledge allegiance to the Qui, and a beneficial arrangement will be sought for all.”
    “And if we don’t?” Jaden asked.
    Once again, the K’lahn ambassador refused to look at him.
    “Ambassador?” Johnson asked.
    “ I am struggling to understand why you would choose annihilation over membership of the Qui Galactic Empire. Planets that possess far superior armaments to your own have paid that price before. Imagine the blight of destruction that is Washington DC spread across the face of the planet. Imagine extinction. The Qui does not need humanity, Mr. President. But we are prepared to tolerate your race, honor you with a place among us, for a price.” She turned the full power of her alien orbs directly on Jaden, boring into his soul with a look that he couldn’t possibly read. “You would give your life for Earth, General Jaden?”
    Jaden blinked, taken aback by such a damn fool question. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
    The Ambassador’s eyes trailed up and down Jaden in appraisal, then settled on Johnson. “Mr. President, as proof of the Qui’s sincere desire to settle this war, I am authorized to offer Earth a concession: General Jaden in return for a temporary cessation of hostilities.”
    Jaden’s jaw dropped.
    “During that time, I will personally train General Jaden for presentation to our Honored Qui. If the Empress accepts his devotion following culmination, within one Earth year, the Qui will accept Earth’s independence subject to a full trade agreement.”
    Jaden launched to his feet. “Are you insane?”
    The president waved him down, his expression grimmer than Jaden had ever seen it. “What is culmination?”
    “Culmination is a full intercourse of body and mind ,” Sonil replied. “The Qui has the ability to read a tribute’s soul and judge the true extent of their willing surrender.”
    The president shot Jaden a warning look before addressing Sonil. “Is this some cultural thing, a traditional practice in the Qui Empire?”
    Sonil narrowed her eyes. “If the representative for a planet has the selflessness and courage to embrace submission for his people, then the Qui will deem the race honorable and fit for survival. A male or female prepared to devote their mind and body to the Qui’s pleasure – for the sake of their kind – makes a worthy sacrifice.”
    Johnson’s lip curled with disgust and the Qui’s Ambassador stiffened. “Do not presume to judge the Qui, Mr. President. Your society aspires to an ideal that exists only at levels like the United Regions. Analyze your world’s history and you find pockets of feudal life that continue to exist today. Cultures where rape victims are killed so as not to dishonor their family; countries where the male of your species has so little self-control, the female is obliged to hide behind cloth for fear they will tempt them into carnal acts; regions where children are slaughtered for no reason. And this was all before our invasion.”
    Fists clenched, Jaden suddenly grasped she was deadly serious. “Why me? You must know I would fail your Qui’s test? I don’t willingly submit to anyone.”
    Sonil lifted her eyes and met his stare with eyes cold-as-a-lizard. “I do not countenance failure, General. I will train you to the exacting standards of the Qui, and you alone will be honored with the opportunity to save the human race from extinction.”
    “Honor? You don’t know the meaning of the word. We have the K’lahn running in circles. Qui reinforcements are slow to arrive. This offer would give you a year to regroup and build your forces.”
    “You overestimate the time we need to ‘ regroup.’ We can replace our ships and troops in several of your Earth weeks. You, however, have limited resources to equip an attack fleet with the hyper drive capability required to escape your solar system. Let me make our position clear. The Qui will destroy your