Travis remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on Wrexel as he asked, “What is the agreement?”
Eyes widened and glanced back and forth between Travis, the pale and silent Amber, and the determined Thromian leader who sat at her side.
How did this woman manage to succeed where they had failed?
“This will be our last meeting,” Wrexel declared and still nobody lifted a voice in response. They were eager to hear of the agreement, not that it mattered if evacuations continued.
“Your evacuees shall remain on board our ships and we will continue to work to evacuate the agreed numbers.”
Sounds of muffled joy echoed across the room.
“You will be fully reallocated to Rheese and be supported upon arrival to establish a new colony.”
Wrexel stood up. “Inndra will work with you to complete the evacuations and will be your focal point from now on. I have other, more important issues on my mind.” He glanced down at Amber meaningfully.
Voices rose in question but Wrexel lifted his hand and interrupted them. “No other negotiations or requests will be entertained. Remember, this is your last and only chance. Inndra wishes to help you; do not tire or anger him as you did me.”
The team could do very little but nod in agreement, although they shared more than one glance of joy with each another, the silent and teary-eyed Amber already forgotten as Inndra took Wrexel’s place at the head of the table.
Travis shrugged off the hands that patted his back and ignored the words of congratulations for his “family” fostering a relationship with Wrexel that kept negotiations open. He looked decidedly uneasy, especially as Amber stood when Wrexel did.
He tried again to get to her but found his way blocked by two Thromian guards.
“Please let me pass.” He tore forward but was stopped a few meters from Amber.
“What are you doing?” he demanded loudly; never before had they prevented any human from approaching Wrexel.
A rustle of fear echoed around the room. Some Earth team members stood up to calm Travis down, their eyes darting urgently from Wrexel to Amber and back at the emotional leader.
“Amber?” he cried desperately, peering past them. “What is going on? Why have you been crying?”
Amber made a move toward him, her mouth opening to explain, but Wrexel’s outstretched hand stopped her in her tracks, accidently grasping the large cloak that fell at her feet. A collective gasp filled the room. Amber tried in vain to grasp the falling cloak but her attempt failed, revealing the dress she had torn to pieces and the silk of her underwear that peeked through. Travis went wild when he saw her clothes, immediately assuming the worst.
“What have you done?” he cried. “What have you done?” The question was to her as much as Wrexel.
The council all stared in horror, not sure what to do; they were all frozen on the spot in dread. Voices rose up in urgency as Amber knelt and gathered the cloak in shame, re-wrapping it over her shoulders with the help of a nearby Thromian woman. They all became silent and pale, staring at Amber in shock.
“What are you doing, where are you taking her?” Travis begged Wrexel.
“I’m taking her with me. Amber asked me to save Earth, but I wasn’t motivated because you had nothing of interest to offer me.”
Wrexel reached to his side and gently tucked a finger under her chin. He lifted her face to his. She responded to his demand, numb from shock and blinded by tears of shame.
His voice lowered possessively. “But as it turns out you did have something I wanted after all. You will have a colony… and I will have Amber.”
“No.” Travis was aghast and then he roared with anger. “This is insane!”
He tried in vain to fight his way past the two immovable Thromians while the rest of the negotiators whispered among themselves, unsure how to proceed.
“You want me to reconsider?” Wrexel laughed sardonically when everybody looked about urgently. The group was silent with dismay when Travis cried, “Yes, no life is worth sacrificing to you.”
Wrexel gave a satisfied sigh. “It’s not the end of her life that I desire.” He stroked an errant tear from her cheek. “You do not destroy what you covet.”
Amber could hear the council voices behind her.
She would be fine.
Thromians were civilized.
Perhaps there was more to the story.
Wrexel showed her the door. He would not drag her off; the choice remained hers.
Amber looked back at her fiancé. ”I love you Travis.”
“I love you,” she shouted again above the rise of concerned opinions. “Forever.”
The rest of the council stared and Amber did not look back, could not bear to see the man she loved in such torment.
* * *
As the doors closed behind her, Amber felt numb. Wrexel did not take her to a room and plunder her as she believed he would. He parted from her very soon after they left the meeting, promising her that she would be comfortable and that no harm would come to her. She stared at him incredulously. How could he guarantee her safety when her very freedom of choice had been taken from her and his entire goal was to rape her? Wrexel did not remain to speak of their agreement anymore. A silent Thromian female who showed no emotion led her to a large bedroom upon the ship. Amber was thankful that he had left her alone. For a moment the reality of the situation was so bizarre; she stood like a guest as the Thromian set about presenting the living quarters to her.
It was surreal.
Her room was open and spacious; it even provided her with a portal to view space, her very own window where she could view ships moving forward with the evacuations. The Thromian showed her how everything worked and asked if Amber was hungry or thirsty. When she shook her head, the Thromian left her alone, pointing at the remote to remind her how to summon her should she need anything.
“Will you lock my door?” Amber asked.
“If you wish.”
Amber realized that he didn’t have to lock her in… nobody would come to her aid and she could not escape. She lay on the bed and sobbed for hours until she had no tears left.
Later, as she stared out of the large porthole in silence, she heard the door open and turned to see a very different alien. Amber stilled, unsure of how to respond at first, her eyes taking in the sight before her with curiosity.
“My name is Leyahanna,” the creature said with a warm smile.
Amber couldn’t help but stare at the little alien before her. She looked like a small elf at least a foot smaller than Amber, with pale yellow skin and round black eyes. Fuzzy gold hair stood up high on her head and she spoke using her tiny webbed hand that had pointed little claws.
“I am a Gweithi.” The alien spoke in a gentle, singsong voice, making butterfly motions with her tapered fingers. “Do not be afraid of me.” Amber looked at the small, frail being that reached no higher than her chest and nodded. The little creature moved gracefully to the monitor on the wall. She wore wispy clothes of gauzy fabrics that swished around her as she walked; they were in woodsy colors, with strange stones and charms sewn into the fabric. She kept smiling and nodding at Amber.
“Rather than tell you what I am and where I am from, I brought you chronicles on the seven planets in the Diogel Federation.”
The alien nimbly moved her hands over the remote, and a program appeared on the large monitor. Amber didn’t have anything to say. She had cried herself into a state of numb denial. Leyahanna chattered enough for them both. She came over to cover Amber with a soft robe that had been lying on the bed. It dragged on the floor, for the Thromian females were tall.
“I am having clothes modified for you and will make sure I get some of your own belongings too,” Leyahanna said, smiling yet again. “Until then, wear this please and sit now to watch the chronicle on the Gweithi.”
Amber nodded.
“I will mix you a potion to help you sleep,” Leyahanna promised.
* * *
Amber sat
back in the comfortable chair and stared at the monitor. Even though she was distressed, she welcomed the distraction that the informational program provided. She learned that the Gweithi nation made its living through working contracts and metal crafts, such as the knife that the Thromians used. Those who took indentures offered their services in a field of expertise for an agreed-upon bounty. They were an honorable nation according to the chronicles, and had a strong army of their own supporting Throm, Vergana, and the currently embargoed Raks in protecting Diogel.
Leyahanna agreed to work in Wrexel’s household for one year. She described her job title as “comforter.” Amber’s eyes widened at this, but when Leyahanna listed her duties, Amber realized she was more like a housekeeper.
She ran Wrexel’s castle wing back on Throm and accompanied him on some of his trips.
Leyahanna cooked his favorite meals, ensured that his clothes were ready and perfect, and, according to her own admission, gave excellent massages when he was tired or tense.
Amber’s mind would have wandered to the illicit, but the chronicle taught her that the Gweithi did not provide sex services. If anyone approached them in an untoward way, they would terminate their contract immediately and keep the full bounty. There was talk of Gweithi who could be hired as assassins, but this was more rumor than fact. They were devout and loyal to the one who employed them.
Wrexel had ordered Leyahanna to make Amber comfortable. This was her main task, but she would not tolerate or entertain any ideas from Amber to cause harm to Wrexel. Amber pouted at this news, but Leyahanna added that she was entitled to her opinion and that, for the record, she stood against the idea that Wrexel had negotiated such an agreement.
“I’m surprised a man as cold as he is didn’t opt for an android,” Amber said when Leyahanna continued to bounce around the room like a chirpy little bird.
Leyahanna agreed. “Not many Thromians hire Gweithi. I think Wrexel prefers a server with an opinion. You may see him as dominating and aggressive but that is not all there is to Wrexel.”
She saw Amber’s expression sour and looked sad. “I know you have reason to hate him. While I understand your motivation, I am loyal to Wrexel. He honors his contracts. But I am happy he has requested that I serve you.”
According to the chronicle, they were honest workers, loyal to the one who paid their fees; a decent nation with high morals. They were also excellent potion makers. A few minutes after Leyahanna asked Amber to lie down and gently massaged her head, Amber was very sleepy. Leyahanna sang a gentle song of muddled lyrics. In it, she promised Amber that she would care for her and reiterated that Wrexel had asked her to ensure that Amber was comfortable. She sang of how this pleased her and how, if allowed, she would be closer to Amber than a sister. Somehow, despite believing she would never sleep again, Amber did.
The following day, Wrexel walked past Inndra into his quarters and sat down at his meeting table, waiting for the backlash.
“What are you doing? Have you lost all sense of reason?”
Possibly.
“You bargained for a bedmate using an entire planet as leverage?”
Absolutely.
“This constitutes rape!”
“I don’t rape,” Wrexel hissed angrily. “I will not touch her until she wants me.”
“Wants you?” Inndra sat down and ran his hand over his locks.
He knew that accepting this assignment with Wrexel in charge was going to be trying. Wrexel was unpredictable and had a penchant for snap decisions. Nevertheless, nothing prepared him for this. “I won’t even start on the morality of this.”
“Good, from the lofty stance of a nation willingly raping a planet, your petition would be a joke.”
“So you’re going to take her kicking and screaming into your bed?”
“I told you, I will not touch her until she admits she wants me, which I know she does.”
Inndra knew that they could scent a female’s desire, so he didn’t argue.
“If the Yimmyrd hear…”
“She agreed to the deal.”
“When Shihlo hears...”
“Shihlo is going to have his hands full when I get back. Your time of negotiation is over; I will have my war.”
Inndra’s eyes flared with the warning and he left wondering what Wrexel planned.
* * *
He went directly to the meeting with the humans and groaned when he saw Travis disregard Wrexel’s instructions and loiter when the gathering was over. He honestly didn’t know what to say to him. Wrexel was unpredictable and impulsive but even for him this latest move was bizarre.
When the last of the group had filtered out, Travis moved swiftly to Inndra’s side.
“Please help me,” he begged.
“Travis.” Inndra calmly indicated that Travis to sit down. “What would you have me do?
Approach Amber and demand that she return to you?”
“You saw her.” Travis’s eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and his hands shook with anxiety. “You saw that he had raped her, Inndra.”
“I saw no such thing,” Inndra warned. “Rape is illegal on Throm and I’ve known the Royal brothers most of my life. They would not resort to rape. They abhor it.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”
“We are a law-abiding nation. If Wrexel took Amber against her will, he would be held accountable.”
God, he hoped that when he arrived on Throm, Shihlo kicked Wrexel’s ass.
“Are you listening to yourself?” Travis demanded. “Of course he has taken her against her will. She would never have gone with him if it wasn’t for the deal on Earth’s evacuees.”
Inndra shrugged. “Then they have an accord. It is not your business if they are both in agreement.”
Travis dropped his head into his hands. Inndra pitied him. He knew the truth behind Amber’s torn clothes. He confronted Wrexel immediately with the rumor straight after the meeting with the humans. He did not know how to tell Travis what Amber had done. He had also overheard gossip about a suspicious encounter after one of Wrexel’s dinners. Wrexel was crazy, but there was something more to the situation between them.
“Travis, I do not want to cause you more pain, but I think you are overlooking something. The attraction between Wrexel and Amber has been a subject of gossip for many days upon this ship. Surely you must have noticed or realized that these dinners came about only after Wrexel met Amber.”
Travis paled. “Are you saying that Amber wants to be with him? She made a desperate sacrifice. She is martyring herself. The evidence of his persuasion was in her torn clothes. Was raping her once not enough? He has to keep her and do it again and again?”
Inndra frowned. “I told you, Wrexel will not harm her in that way. I can assure you, even with her agreement with him he will wait until she is ready.”
Inndra wasn’t sure how to placate Travis but setting aside the idea of rape seemed like a fair start. “Travis, perhaps it will calm you to know that biologically we are not all that different. Our ways of mating are similar. Wrexel in particular is spoken of as …”
Travis roared and stood up. Inndra remained silent until Travis calmed down and sank back into the chair.
“I cannot imagine Amber in a passionate clinch with him. She is sweet, innocent, beautiful, and young. Amber would never throw herself at a stranger, especially a seven-foot, long-haired, tattooed freak.”
Inndra raised one eyebrow in mocking rebuttal. The Earth females were throwing themselves at the Thromians on board the evacuation vessels and Travis was well aware of this.
“I’m sorry, Travis. There is little I can do,” he said instead.
Wrexel tortured Amber with his absence for two days. Her eyes darted to the door in fear every time it buzzed. However, it was always Leyahanna.
She took Amber for walks around the ship, but Amber did not enjoy the curious gazes from the men and the open dislike from the women. Instead, she spent her time watching
chronicles describing the planets in the Diogel system and their inhabitants. Leyahanna went out of her way to make Amber comfortable.
“Anything you want, I will get for you,” she continually said. Amber looked at Lilith hovering in the corner and remembered her words from the night before. “It is set in motion, you are with your protector, soon you will rise to your cause.”
She had been without her medication for two days; Mommy was extra green that morning and sprouting new crap. Amber asked Leyahanna to get some of her personal things from Earth, including her drugs, kept in her father’s wall safe. Amber asked for this and for the bag that she had prepared for her departure from Earth.
“I will get it all for you and more.” Leyahanna was wonderful, but loneliness coiled around Amber’s heart and depression began to slowly take hold of her mind like a throttling weed.
It was three days later when the evacuations wrapped up and Leyahanna announced that Wrexel would dine with her. As Leyahanna dressed her, Amber stood immobile and unreactive. “I am sure you will enjoy dinner, Amber. Wrexel is extremely intelligent and charming.”
Fury exploded from Amber. “I loathe him! I am here only because I must be here. Never forget that.”
Leyahanna looked hurt. “I’m sorry, Amber,” she said gently. “But because there is little you can do, perhaps you should find a way to accept this agreement. I am sure it will not be for long and then you can return to your family.”
Amber looked down at her dress and frowned. “This isn’t Thromian.”
“No… I got this dress from of one of the evacuees. It was new,” she added when Amber wrinkled her nose. Leyahanna was kind, but Amber preferred the Thromian military uniforms that Leyahanna altered for her. They were comfortable and discreet, hiding her curves. The dress Leyahanna chose did the opposite. Amber opened her mouth to protest but seeing Leyahanna’s admiring smile as she fussed over the dress, Amber realized that she would hurt her again. Despite the circumstances, she liked the small Gweithi. Leyahanna led her to Wrexel’s quarters and left her in his lounge, promising to be outside the door if Amber called.
AMNESIA Page 22