Ten Thousand Fleets Chapter 19: 19. Shamballa

Read chapter 19 of Ten Thousand Fleets by DavidNiemitz on NovelPedia.

19. Shamballa Trigger Warnings: Character abusing a position of power over another person, implication of nonconsensual sexual relationship Shamballa, Asteroid 2679 WLX The Singularity September 26, 2847 “You called me here,” Evelyn Livingston-Baylies said, her delicate chin thrust proudly upward, her dark eyes burning with anger. “Well, here I am. What is it you want with me?” Ogden Autenrieth-Fujita the Second regarded her from the embrace of his comfortable desk-chair. It had been designed to fit his body, specifically, contoured to support his posture and cradle him in the greatest possible comfort. The cushions were covered in genuine galuchat, harvested from vat-grown stingrays. He ran his fingers over the sanded-down and polished, almost pebble-like texture along the armrests, while he let the woman stew in her own fear. Behind him, a great armored window of layered, transparent aluminum oxynitride looked down on the floor of the Shamballa Casino, where crowds of people swirled from game to game, entertainment to entertainment. Numerous symptoms of fear and anxiety detected, though she is trying to hide it, Egeria told him. The shackled AI’s voice manifested halfway between a whisper and a caress along the inside of his skull. He could have had her simply display the information he wanted through the artificial lenses surgically implanted in his eyes, but Ogden preferred the internal conversation. Her breathing is shallow, and her jaw is clenched so tight that she’s nearly grinding her teeth. She is sweating. “What is it I want with you,” Ogden repeated, teasing the words out as he allowed himself to relish the woman’s suffering. It was ridiculous to imagine that he’d ever thrown himself at her in such a pathetic way—but he supposed that he needed to use a bit of mercy in judgement of his past self. After all, he’d been quite a bit younger then, and had far less of an understanding about how the universe worked. She was still striking: that, he could freely admit. At twenty-seven, Evelyn was no longer quite so skinny or coltish as she had been when they’d both attended Eton’s campus on Wolf 1069. She’d lost some of the freshness, the feel of a flower just opened from the bud, that young women had, but she’d made up for it in the swell of her hips and chest beneath that elegantly-cut dress. Her breasts were certainly larger than he recalled. It was a pity, he admitted, that she’d likely given her body away to other men over the years. He would have preferred to teach her how to please him without having to go to the trouble of making her unlearn the tastes she’d acquired from lesser lovers. Still, there would be a certain pleasure in breaking her. “What makes you think that I want anything?” Ogden asked, once he’d left her waiting long enough. The first thing to do, of course, was to show the proud Miss Livingston-Baylies her place. “I already have a controlling share of your family’s corporation, as of Tuesday morning. At the shareholders meeting this afternoon, I will have your father’s resignation from his position as chief executive. I’ve bought up your family’s personal debts. In short, Evelyn, I am already in possession of everything which was once yours. What more could I possibly want?” He could actually see her jaw tremble—was it fury, or despair? How wonderful it would be, Ogden thought, if she actually lunged across his desk and struck him. The Autenrieth-Fujita Security personnel waiting just outside his office were brutally trained, exorbitantly equipped with the latest combat wetware, and highly motivated to protect the brilliant young heir to the corporation. They should be: Ogden and his father made certain their families were well cared for, and their children groomed for positions of future responsibility within the company. He’d probably have to restrain them from splattering the beautiful Miss Livingston-Baylies’ brains across his walls. “I can’t believe you’re actually as petty as all this,” Evelyn p