Options... All of them Bad

[Bellatrix]

"You're right of course. Unfortunately for you, you or fortunate depending on how you look at it you are no use to me, and I really don't need a slave, such as yourself, like I need another hole in my head. I don't know this Nicholas Ryder. Mine, well my Dominus, would have told me to get bent, and I'm pretty sure this Dominus would too. But, how much do you think he will pay for your return? Hmm? How about an Erebus class?"

Bellatrix shoved a Ajem'dasis holographic communicator into Tereska's hands. "Make the call, and for your sake you better hope he agrees to the terms." She drew her kliden and pressed the activation switch. The red blade hummed with a deadly menace inches from Tereska's neck.

[Tereska Kellow]

"Like he's just going to give you a starship for me? All of us maybe..." Teri said as she contemplated using the communicator to strike Bellatrix. "Uhm... I am kind of naked here... is he going to see..."

Dominus struck her across the face. "Make the call or I let Bellatrix take your head."

Tereska glared at him and sighed as she activated the holographic communicator.

"M... Tereska?" Nick asked as he saw her holographic form. "You're alive?!"

"Dominus and an Ajem version of your best friend are holding me captive. They want to sell me into slavery unless you give her a starship... an... Erebus class, whatever that is."

"They should also know I do not negotiate with terrorists." Nick said firmly. "You really think I'm going to give you a ship that size as trade?"

Dominus moved into view and cocked his head "Then we'll send her head back in a box. So what will it be? A young, barely legal version of our mother with her whole life ahead of her... or an aging, expensive starship? Tic tock..."

Nick grimaced. "Fine... I want the prisoners transported... safely and clothed... to a neutral spot."

"You're actually agreeing?" Teri said in shock

"Lives are worth more than a starship." Nick replied.

"You'll probably try to do something anyway." Dominus replied. "If Lady Bellatrix sees a single thing out of order, if you send in your own people or try to attack us, I will personally skin her alive and let you watch every second of it. She's not my mother, hell... she's barely out of high school."

"Oh that's a cheap shot." Teri snapped back. "Nicholas... please... don't."

"Where and when?" Nick said and crossed his arms. "I have one condition. One hour with Bellatrix."

"DONE." Dominus said with a grin and immediately snapped one of her own neural lock devices on her back and sent her to her knees. "Neural locked and I'll even have her secured so she doesn't just cut your fool head off before I get the chance. That dead planetoid about a parsec or two past my space."

"Four hour trip. So in six hours I will meet you there." Nick replied.

"Five and a quarter. Do not be late." Dominus said and closed the communication. "I'm not saying sorry." he said to Bellatrix as he activated the remote and locked both Bellatrix and Tereska in a kneeling position. "Clever device Master Ajem'dasis. He probably wants to interrogate you about his father and Bartyn. But... " he leaned in closer. "Perhaps you can plead your case to him like you did to me. You're already scamming me out of starships, scam him as well. Then you can be on your merry way. I like you, I like you a lot actually. But your ambition will overshadow mine and I intend to last. Don't make me reconsider ending you." he stood up and looked at Trinity. "As for you Colonel. you're property of Bellatrix. But you're far too defiant. Guards... take her to... the Artist. I think she could use a few more reminders on that milky white skin of her's."

"You're an asshole." Teri said through her teeth.

"I am. Proud of it." Dominus laughed and left them in the chamber alone.

[Bellatrix]

Bellatrix said simply relaxed into the device. There was no point in resisting it. "You are a bigger fool than my Dominus," she observed. "I was never a threat to you, nor were you my enemy. You have just made me your enemy, and for what?"

[Dominus]

Dominus walked back in and released her control enough for her to stand up so he could look her in the eye. "Oh you're going to change your tune once you get what you want. You're not a threat to me? I lost two bases because of this universe's Nick Ryder and his family. They are relentless. I have other bases and other secure locations I can go to, but not an infinite number of them." he locked her in position and shook his head. "Your ambition to rule your reality... there's more than simply needing ships and material. Jackson took an entire government prisoner. Did that stop them? No! They became more driven than ever. I took over Jackson's old Vella Cava station, we lost that. I took their Jack, in the hope that he could be useful, he was to a point until my counterpart and tiny support fleet took out Python! Ask for what you want and take what is your's. I'll give you ships, hell I'll even give yu slave crews to run them and maintain them. Get whatever else you need an end it. Otherwise, you will be the next Becca Sandoval that my scientists will use for raw matter. Because a vengeful Ryder is a dangerous Ryder. And Bartyn killed his father." he crossed his arms. "When you get your ship... and then some. Tell me if I was right? Humble yourself Bellatrix. He's a sap, I'll be bastard, you're just someone I used. He'll take sympathy in that. He's a Jase, he'll know if you're lying. So hate me. Hate me with every fuckin' fiber of your being. I'm not going to kiss your ass like he does for his version of you." he pointed to Teri and slapped her again. "Hate me too. Sooner she gets what she wants... " he smirked and waited for the guards to take Trinity. "I'll make sure the Artist doesn't work too much of his magic on her. Leave something for you."

[Bellatrix]

"It was never about ruling!" She hissed exasperated. "I have played the game of thrones and to be honest it's boreing. I was planning on handing my rule over to Kat! I don't give two shits about this hell hole! This was about loyalty, and justice. Apparently betrayal is a Nick Ryder trait. You want to know why you keep losing? You think selfishness makes you strong, and cruelty makes you powerful. No one can stand alone against the hordes, and cruelty just means your enemies have nothing to lose. I could have destroyed the Erebus, but I didn't. Why? Because it didn't serve a purpose. But, if you want to kill, kill for a reason, and you should kill me now. Right where I stand, or I will be your downfall."

[Dominus]

Dominus clenched his fists and electricity crackled around them as he stomped back toward Bellatrix. "I can't kill you. As much as I really want to." he snapped his fingers and her device deactivated and shattered, giving her full control of her body back. "But if there's one thing I've learned from this reality, it's that we're better together than apart. You think you know the way to win... then I need you at my side. Be the pain in my ass adviser that I clearly need." he took her hand and lead her out of the room and closed it up after him. "But I do know my counterpart, if he thinks he can reach you, then you lost babe. And he will raze everything you tried to build here. You want to hand it over to your Kat, then he'll make damn sure there's nothing for her. Just like he's been making damn sure that everything I built goes down. He and your counterpart are far more dangerous than we are."

[Bellatrix]

She reached back and her kliden sailed into her hand. For a moment she considered using it on Dominus, but decided otherwise, and clipped it to her belt. "I don't intend to build anything here. At least nothing permanent. Just like you have technology I have never heard of I have things you haven't. One is my ability to slip between realities. In this realitie's future they will try to use the rifts as a power source. They will fail. That's how you came into posession of Olivia Sandoval. However, my scientists figured out how to harness a rift, and control to to take a ship from one reality to another. Kat will rule her reality. Any ships and crew I use to exact my revenge will be returned to you, and you will never see me again."

She suddenly reached out with the ijulna, and lifted Dominus up by the neck choking him, "And if you even pull another stunt like that again you better kill me, or I will make you suffer in ways you never dreamed of. Just because I don't use gratuitous violence, doesn't mean I am above violence if the situation calls for it." She released him and glared at him. "Trust and respect is earned, and you lost a lot of both today."

[Dominus]

"Perhaps..." Dominus said as he regained his breath and looked at her. "Despite my... usual feelings..." he looked down. "I... apologize. I think I need you more than I realize." approaching her with an outstretched hand. "I think a part of you needs me as well, otherwise you would have struck me down and been done with it. You make a lot of very good points, violence has served me very well... but lately... " Dominus got closer to her. "It feels as if I am simply treading water in this reality. And if you can get through some of my thick skull... you may be able to convince my counterpart to give you more than you asked for. I want you as an ally, but you may get more from him by being my enemy, enemy of my enemy is my friend... or so people in this reality think. They'll make a deal with the devil it means they can fight a demon, but they're still in bed with the devil himself. Or in your case, herself."

He shook his head. "Despite my better judgement, I actually... care about your goals as much as my own. Which is unusual, I don't usually care about anyone but myself because I don't... I haven't had anyone that I gave two shits about in a long time." Dominus gave her a smirk. "Ajem'dasis witch..."

[Bellatrix]

"Oh how original," she replied dryly. On impulse Bellatrix shoved Dominus against the wall and kissed him. After a moment she pulled away and glanced around awkwardly. "I uh... will not apologize. Shows weakness you know, but I won't let it happen again."

[Dominus]

Dominus smiled and nodded his head. "Maybe we needed to fight first. It's funny in all the realities I've seen, not many had a version of myself and a version of yourself involved with each other, some were even actually raised like siblings, one or the other's parents both died and the other's parents adopted the other. Those were sickeningly sweet relationships... all 'bro' and 'sis'... maybe the universes kept our counterparts apart yet together because we're far more dangerous together?" he shrugged his shoulders. "Or a part of my counterpart saw the red hair and got all Oedipal... as Miz Kellow pointed out. I will admit, she is quite beautiful no matter how you look at her. I think you should ask for more than simply an Erebus, perhaps some of those new power cores of his, we have yet to capture one. Rumor has it, they last for decades and replace dueterium, you could win a war with one power core and still have enough to defend your position."