Warning: The title is accurate. There is torture in this chapter.

Notes: I just got back from a vacation so I decided to post two chapters today, because I can't edit things forever.

Brutal Negotiations

Both of the Invaders were being forced to kneel in the main communication area of the ship. It was near the front of the control room; it had several large monitors which were connected to other devices.

Their hands were bound behind their backs. All of their technology had been stripped from them and tossed into a pile since it became useless when forcibly removed. Each piece appeared to turn its self into plain metal or something with no visible functions whatsoever.

A clever idea really, since no one would be able to steal it and use it for themselves.

Bann's attention was drawn to the weaker of the two Invaders: the one who hadn't stopped shaking.

He decided to approach this one, and he stood in front of it, watching in amusement as it shrank away from him.

The former Irken soldier smiled much like he used to back when he was a guard on Vort.

He had access to all of their information, so he knew what their weaknesses were.

"I need you to contact your superiors," Bann told the young Invader.

Even though he knew how their technology worked and which code to use, he still wouldn't be able to send the transmission... He'd learned while going through the information on board their ship that the counsel won't answer any calls unless their technology's biological sensors indicated it was one of their own calling them.

The Invader was shaking his head no.

"I'm not giving you a choice," Bann insisted as he snagged the Invader by the arm and hauled him to his feet. "Call your counsel." He let go. "That's an order."

"I-I can't..." the Invader stammered, taking a fearful step back. The creature's mandibles clicked together. It was a nervous reaction.

The alien's eyes were wide and frightened. Good. He was well aware of his position then.

There was a group of Irken soldiers standing nearby.

One of them moved closer to the assistant and shoved him forward.

Bann reached out and grabbed the Invader by the front of his long silver coat.

"I said you don't have a choice," Bann told him as he continued smiling. "Now call your leaders before I lose my patience with you."

"He can't," the other Invader muttered, lifting his head to meet Bann's gaze. He spoke in a clearer voice: "he hasn't been granted the clearance to do so."

"But something tells me you have that ability," Bann responded, smirking down at the other Invader as he released the assistant.

He'd gotten into some of their personal files. He knew the Invader who'd just spoken was Kosiker who was in charge of the ship's security.

He couldn't remember anything about the other Invader, so he was probably just a low-ranking assistant or something.

"So, are you willing to take his place and call your leaders for me?"

Kosiker bit his bottom lip and lowered his head. "I cannot... doing so would be a high level breach of security... I cannot allow it."

"Of course you'd say that, but your lack of cooperation is going to get this guy," he gestured at the visibly frightened Invader. "Into a whole lot of trouble. You realize that don't you?"

The other Invader squared his shoulders and slowly raised his eyes to meet Bann's. He was glaring at the Irken. "I cannot allow a hostile entity to speak with the counsel..."

"I'm not trying to bring down your society," he tried to reason with Kosiker. He was hoping if he explained his intentions it might make the Invaders a little more cooperative. "I just want to make a trade. One of yours for one of mine."

That was all he was planning to speak to the counsel about. He didn't care about anything else.

"It's impossible," Kosiker insisted. "You will threaten the safety of my people... You will harm the counsel."

"I don't care about you or your stupid counsel," Bann stated; his antennae flattening in irritation as he scowled at the stubborn Invader.

Kosiker continued to glare at him. He really was a stubborn guy.

It didn't need to come to this, but Kosiker wasn't giving him very many options.

Other races were often very attached to one another, so hurting the assistant should gain some kind of response from him.

Bann sighed. "Fine. Then we'll do this the hard way." He regarded one of the soldiers who'd been intently watching the entire exchange. "Start with the wings."

The Invaders' wings weren't an essential part of their body. Since an Invader could easily live without them, it was a good place to start.

Two of the soldiers held Kosiker by the shoulders to keep him in place while a third came up from behind the other Invader and shoved him onto the floor.

The assistant's face struck the hard tile, and he let out a frightened whimper.

The same soldier grabbed his bound wrists and drove a knee into his back in order to keep him pinned down.

"Kosiker!" the frightened Invader called for his companion; his voice rising in fear.

Kosiker flinched, but he made no move to help his fallen comrade.

A sharp mechanical limb sprang from the soldier's PAK.

"This is your last warning..." Bann spoke as he watched the pointed end hover over the Invader's wing.

The assistant managed to turn his head a little to see what was happening. As soon as he felt the sharp metal point touch his wing, he tried to fold it away.

"No, please!" he begged as another soldier strode over to him. This Irken knelt down and began spreading the wing out again. "Please! Kosiker!"

"If you want to protect your companion, you'll make the call," Bann said, crossing his arms as he waited for some kind of response.

Kosiker lowered his head and chose to remain silent.

That wasn't a wise decision...

"Aaaaahhh!" the Invader screamed as he tried to scramble to his hands and knees, but the Irken on top of him kept him pinned down. The sharp metal had pierced through his wing while his other wing flapped uselessly.

Then another soldier moved closer and stepped on the moving one to keep it out of the way.

The assistant continued screaming and writhing as the first soldier dragged the mechanical limb through the wing's thin membrane, tearing a line from the middle all the way down.

"Stop! Please!" the Invader cried loudly as the soldier moved his PAK's appendage over the other wing. The Irken lowered it so the point just grazed the surface.

Bann glanced at Kosiker as the Invader began struggling against the two soldiers holding him back.

"Are you willing to cooperate?" Bann questioned him, flicking an antennae forward.

"I..." Kosiker hesitated. He ground his teeth together as he stared down at the floor. "I cannot contact the counsel for you..."

The other Invader let out a piercing scream.

The soldier's metal limb must have punctured his other wing.

"Please! No more!" the assistant begged. He was sobbing loudly.

Then the screaming began again.

Bann's antennae pressed flat against his head.

His memories of his time on Vort were a bit hazy, but he could recall doing his best to avoid these kinds of scenarios... mostly because he wanted his job to remain easy and he figured torturing the Vortians would complicate things.

He wasn't enjoying this, but it had to be done.

They could be doing worse to Laes right now... they could be removing the Vortian's limbs or ripping out his organs...

"Your lack of cooperation is going to get him killed," he insisted.

Kosiker was facing the other Invader. He had to watch everything that was happening.

His expression was one of shock and horror... whatever he was seeing right now wasn't a pleasant sight.

There was probably a decent amount of blood. The assistant's screams hadn't died down at all.

When Kosiker realized Bann was watching him, he stopped struggling. His mouth formed a tight line and his expression became blank.

Bann's gaze returned to the crying writhing assistant on the floor.

The soldier had one of the Invader's antennae between his fingers.

"I've been wondering how sensitive these things are," the Irken admitted with a smirk.

His victim gasped and made a choking sound as his whole body trembled.

The other soldiers were watching. Some of them were whispering among themselves.

"Let's find out, shall we?" the soldier spoke as he pulled lightly on the antenna.

The Invader's muscles tensed, and he let out a sharp pained cry.

"Paiji!" he screamed in desperation. "Paiji!"

The soldier tugged a little harder, and the Invader's body started to convulse. His bloody tattered wings thrashed around and his arms twitched.

It looked like he was being electrocuted.

"Stop!" Kosiker yelled as he wrenched against his captor's grasp. "He isn't even a full adult! You are torturing a najava; a young one!"

"You can make this stop anytime you want," Bann reminded him in a calm and even tone while the soldier switched to the other antenna. "All you have to do is swallow your pride and call your leaders."

"This isn't about pride!" Kosiker insisted. "Do you honestly think I would watch my..." He caught himself. "Watch Diu," he corrected. "Get tortured for the sake of pride?" He exhaled sharply.

Struggling wasn't getting the Invader anywhere, but he was the stubborn kind.

"It's about protecting my people and my planet! If you discover where we are in the universe you will attack us! I cannot let my people be slaughtered!"

"Diu is one of your people," Bann remarked, gesturing to the writhing assistant who was whimpering through clenched teeth as his hands and wings continued to twitch.

"You weren't able to protect him or this ship," he stated with little feeling behind his words. "Take my advice. Call your counsel and tell them you've failed your mission. Afterwards I'll only say to them what I need to say."

The head of security hesitated, so he continued: "I won't threaten them. I won't do anything to track them. All I want is my companion back. That's it."

Kosiker's shoulders slumped and he bowed his head.

He was considering it.

Bann nodded at the soldier who gave the assistant's antenna another squeeze.

Diu shrieked. He started writhing again as his hands twitched and his body jerked.

"Will you stop hurting Diu if I agree to your demands?" Kosiker hurriedly questioned as he met Bann's gaze. "You will not track the counsel's location...?"

He already knew where their planet currently was, so hacking into the ship's communication network to track them now would be pointless anyway.

"If you contact them, I'll stop torturing your friend here, and I won't do anything to find out your planet's location," Bann responded, motioning for the soldier to stop. For now.

The Irken instantly let go of his victim's antenna and rose to his feet. He dusted off his hands and stepped away from the bloody and torn assistant who was whimpering pitifully as he attempted to curl closer to himself while his limbs and wings continued to spasm.

"You're willing to contact your counsel then?"

Kosiker gave a slight nod.

The soldiers who were holding onto him led him over to the controls near the main communications monitor.

Kosiker entered his code and a group of Invaders appeared on the screen. Some were less vibrant than either Diu or Kosiker... the duller ones were shorter than the ones with more colour.

"I failed my assignment..." the head of security admitted, keeping his face lowered. "My Irken captors wish to speak with you... if you would listen."

"We will listen," the counsel echoed.

Their large black eyes all turned to Bann who stepped up to the monitor.

"I want an exchange," he told them, deciding to get straight to the point. "We currently have one of your ships as well as two hostages... I'm willing to exchange one of the hostages for Laes: the Vortian you've taken prisoner."

All of the counsel members were watching him wordlessly.

"If you agree then I'll return Diu to you," he offered.

Maybe if they heard the young Invader's name they would say something in response.

He wasn't too sure just how badly Diu was hurt, but he figured if the Invader was sent back home he'd be able to recover just fine.

Also if the injured Invader was sent away then Laes might not find out he'd resorted to torture.

The counsel was quiet for a few moments longer. Then they began whispering among themselves. Finally one of them came forward.

"If you are willing to trade Kosiker in his stead, then we are willing to give you the Vortian prisoner," a female counsel member told him.

Bann glanced at Kosiker who was staring intently at his people.

"Diu is injured," Bann informed them, hoping to sway their decision. He motioned to the assistant lying on the ground.

The injured Invader was curled up on his side, moaning and trembling.

A few of the soldiers standing close to the assistant were keeping an eye on him just in case he tried something, but Bann was pretty sure the injured Invader wouldn't even be able to stand right now, never mind trying to escape.

There was even a chance that the assistant could be permanently crippled if he didn't receive any medical attention soon.

"He needs medical treatment," Bann pressed, but the counsel's impassive expressions hadn't changed.

"His physical status is of no concern to us," the same female counsel member spoke. She continued: "if you are unwilling to give us Kosiker, then we cannot return the Vortian to you."

Bann sighed. So much for returning the wounded Invader to his people so he could receive treatment.

For some reason the counsel wasn't asking for both of them to be returned, and he couldn't offer this without looking like he was desperate to reclaim Laes.

Unfortunately this meant Laes was going to find out what he'd done... the Vortian was going to be disgusted with him.

"Fine..." he reluctantly agreed.

"We can make the exchange on Bludon," the female counsel member decided.

They were acting like they were the ones in control of the situation.

"Have it take place on Vort," Bann pressed.

Vort was Laes' home planet, and it was the only other place he could think of where Diu might get the medical help he needed.

"No. The Vortians are your allies. We will make the trade on neutral ground."

Vort wasn't neutral? Had the Tallest decided to ally himself with the Vortians then?

Irk's leader had been driving a ship away from Vort not that long ago... the Invader's vessel detected where the Tallest was as soon as the transmission was answered.

This was going to complicate things.

"If you do not agree then we can't make the exchange," a second counsel member concluded.

Bann offered a smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "That planet is very far away, and I have to visit Vort real quick, so how about we meet on Plookesia?" He suggested. Then he added "you have a ship headed there anyway don't you?"

"Plookesia is not acceptable either," a third counsel member decided. They were probably wearing those telepathic devices on their heads to communicate with each other, that's why they weren't arguing or speaking over each other. "We will meet on Bludon, or not at all."

"Fine," Bann decided even though it seemed like there could be a trap waiting for him there... why else would they insist so strongly on meeting on that planet specifically?

"I'll agree to Bludon."

"You will not be doing the exchange," the second one stated.

That was a fair requirement considering he'd taken control of this ship, stolen a lot of their information, and set a large number of captured Irkens free.

"Who do you want to do it then?" Bann asked.

"The Vortian, Lard Nar."

"Ah..." he looked around at all of the watching Irkens in the room before returning his attention to the counsel. "Why?"

"He is the same species as our prisoner," the female Invader told him.

"He also has a healthy distrust for Irkens," the second one stated.

Well, he couldn't really argue with their reasoning.

"I'll ask him."

"You must also turn yourself over to us," the third one said.

Bann's antennae flicked back and his eyes narrowed at the group of Invaders on the screen.

"You want me to turn myself over to you?" he questioned, pointing at them. "Don't you have enough of my people to use for your experiments already?"

"You are not an Irken," the first one stated.

"You are a dangerous program that is currently operating an Irken's body," a fourth one spoke.

"According to you, that's all an Irken is," Bann remarked, narrowing an eye at them. He folded his arms over his chest.

"If you don't agree; we will have the Vortian killed," the second counsel member threatened.

Bann tilted his head back and laughed.

"Oh really?" His expression darkened as he locked eyes with that particular Invader. "I'm not even interested in this war you've decided to have with the Tallest... but if you kill Laes, I won't hesitate to assist the Tallest in completely wiping out the last remnants of your people."

He forced a smile. "There's what... about 1200 of you left, not including however many are within your prison. If you didn't have advanced AI, your planet your society wouldn't even be functioni..."

"Enough!" the third counsel member shouted. He looked visibly shaken. "How did you obtain this information?"

"I hacked into every section of this vessel," Bann answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Personally I don't care you guys are on the brink of going extinct as a species, but I kind of thought you might want to keep your planet's current coordinates a secret at least."

"We take back our previous demand..." the second counsel member muttered.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Bann smirked. "If you keep being cooperative I might even forget most of the sensitive information I dug up in this ship's digital archives."

The screen faded to black.

Bann's attention switched to Kosiker who'd grown very quiet. He waved the two soldiers guarding him away.

"Turn around," he instructed the Invader.

Kosiker didn't seem to have any fight left in him as he obeyed without protest.

Bann summoned one of his mechanical limbs from his PAK.

"Hold still."

The Invader kept his head lowered as he remained completely unmoving. He didn't even flinch when the sharp metal appendage tore through the bonds binding his hands behind him.

He rubbed his freed wrists then hurried over to Diu.

Kosiker knelt down and carefully placed one of his hands under Diu's head and the other under the assistant's upper back, making sure not to touch his wings. Then the mobile Invader slowly moved the immobile one. Diu whimpered and moaned in pain, until his head came to rest on Kosiker's lap.

"Please let him come with me," Kosiker begged. "He won't be of any use to you... he might even die... please show him mercy..."

"I can't do that," Bann told the Invader plainly while withdrawing his mechanical limb.

"I know..." Kosiker's voice nearly cracked as he hugged Diu close.

The other Invader whimpered softly and squirmed in discomfort.

These Invaders weren't just coworkers... they obviously had a much deeper connection. A biological one maybe?

"He's your offspring isn't he?" Bann questioned since he wanted to confirm his suspicions.

Kosiker tensed, and he raised his eyes to meet Bann's. His apprehensive expression spoke louder than a verbal response.

"It's fine," Bann tried to reassure him. He'd already gotten what he wanted from these Invaders... there was no point in hurting them anymore. "I'm not interested in torturing you guys just for the fun of it."

It was no wonder Kosiker had become so complacent... Diu could be his only offspring... shlit.

He just had a frightened young Invader tortured in front of his parent...

How was Laes going to respond when he discovered what he'd done?

All he could do now is fix what he could and hope the Vortians would be able to figure out the rest.

Hopefully Laes would still be willing to talk to him if nothing else...

"Where do you keep the medical supplies?" he asked Kosiker as he fixed one of his gloves.

"There are some in the labs," Kosiker responded. He wasn't looking at him anymore.

Kosiker's eyes had become distant. He seemed to be looking at nothing.

"Go get me some cloths, pain-nummbers, medical glue, and disinfectant," Bann instructed one of the nearby soldiers who gave a quick salute before stepping out of the room.

Bann crouched down beside Kosiker who was trembling now. He placed a hand on the Invader's shoulder, and he wasn't surprised at all when the Invader attempted to shrug off his hand.

"I'll get the bleeding to stop," he told Kosiker.

He knew how Invaders' antennae functioned, but he wasn't too sure how to treat them.

Would cooling cream help? Kosiker would know more about it, but he might not be willing to give him any answers.

"What should I do about his antennae?" Bann tried.

"Don't touch him," Kosiker responded as he turned away in order to shield his offspring with his wings and body.

Diu continued to whimper in pain. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was trembling. Both of his tattered wings were lying limp on the floor.

"Will you be able to close his wounds yourself?" Bann questioned.

He wouldn't mind relinquishing this task since it would mean less work for him.

Kosiker stayed silent.

Bann sighed as he ran a hand over his head, between his antennae.

"I can show you how to close the injuries to his wings," he offered.

"After what you did to Diu, there's no point in acting civil towards me," Kosiker nearly spat. He sounded angry. He obviously wanted to say more, but he was restraining himself.

"Acting civil?" Bann repeated, squinting an eye. "I'm trying to retrieve my companion that your people stole away from his planet and imprisoned."

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He'd gone through an awful lot of their ship's information drives, and he hadn't liked what he learned after reading about how the Invaders treated both Irkens and Vortians.

"Considering the awful experiments you've done to my kind and the Vortians, even recently, I'm actually showing a lot of restraint right now."

He gave an exaggerated shrug before rising to his feet. "But if you prefer me to stand here and watch your blood-connection slowly bleed to death, that's fine. I can do that just as easily."

An uneasy silence fell between them.

Then the soldier who'd been sent to retrieve the medical supplies returned.

"Well," Bann questioned crossing his arms. "What do you want me to do?"

"Please help him..." Kosiker spoke; his voice falling to just a whisper.

Bann took the medical supplies from the soldier.

"If you want to treat him yourself, I can show you how. It's not that difficult."

"I have no medical experience..." Kosiker quietly admitted.

"You said you didn't want me to touch him," Bann reminded him. "Are you changing your mind?"

"Please help him..." Kosiker repeated, lowering his head.

For an Invader, this was an act of submission as they were offering complete access to their antennae.

Bann was familiar now with nearly all of their behaviours. He also understood their language as well thanks to his PAK, however, he hadn't been able to understand Diu while the young Invader was under duress...

He wasn't sure why that was.

"Alright, but you'll need to keep him still," Bann spoke.

Kosiker gripped Diu's arms firmly while Bann knelt down and studied the damage done to the young assistant's right wing.

Light green blood was oozing from the tears. There were three of them on this side extending from the middle of the wing all the way down.

Bann placed the medical supplies next to him on the floor. Then he picked up a cloth and a bottle of disinfectant... it was really more of an all purpose cleanser since Invaders didn't often use things like external medications.

They didn't need to. Their technology was so advanced it could cure almost any ailment or injury.

The bottle's labels were printed with Invader labels, but the soldier seemed to understand what it contained... this meant the Irken had received some Invader programming. Many of them had.

Bann would keep this in mind since these were the Irkens the Tallest wanted him to send to Vort.

He took off the lid and soaked the cloth in the cleansing solution.

This was really going to sting.

Random Facts/Notes: Invader children (like Chakri) don't have wings. Diu has wings, plus he's fully grown so he is effectively an adult, however due to this expedition he hasn't been back to his home world to participate in his peoples' coming of age ceremony. This is why he is still considered a 'young one' which is their version of a teenager.