by Jade Waltz
“Thank you, Prince Idris.”
Idris and Erlyn faced her new security personnel and talked in hushed tones to prevent her eavesdropping. Deciding not to stand around awkwardly, Jaiya returned to her fighter and opened up the small person storage bay. Carefully, she unloaded her travel cases onto the floor, quickly sealing the latch.
“Your weapon,” a deep voice rumbled.
Jaiya yelped in surprise and whirled around, her head bumping into the prince’s hard, bare chest. Embarrassed, she stumbled backward, tripping over the cases.
She fell, her arms pinwheeling wildly, only to be caught by a pair of blue arms. Her cheeks began to heat as he held her close, their bodies stuck in time and space. His teal eyes studied hers, his confusion evident. She licked her lips nervously, unable to look away.
“Sire, Diplomat Lian is armed,” the same deep voice announced. “For your safety, move away. It is dangerous to be within arm’s length of him.”
The trance was instantly dissolved. He helped her stand before letting go and backing away, still holding her gaze.
“Is it true?” His eyes roamed her body, looking for the offending item. “Do you carry a weapon on you?”
Jaiya nodded. “A beamblade.” She opened her cloak, revealing its sheath along her leg. “I always carry one, like most humans.”
“I have to ask Raizxl to confiscate it until your departure.” A sadness filled his eyes. “For the safety of my people.”
“I understand your trust is not a given; it needs to be earned.” Jaiya slowly unclasped the sheath from her leg, making a show of handing it over to prove that she held no ill intentions. She wrapped the bands around the hilt and presented the beamblade to the prince.
Idris took it, nodding in respect as he turned the weapon in his hands. “May I?”
“Sure, I am already at a disadvantage.” Jaiya chuckled. Realizing her mistake, she coughed into her fist, trying to clear her throat before deepening her voice once more. “I mean, you outnumber me by . . .” She did a quick sweep of the room. “I estimate about thirty of you.” She shrugged and instantly chastised herself for overusing human expressions as the room watched her in confusion. “I mean . . . Yes, of course you may. It would be an honor.”
“I have always been interested in learning about the technology of other species,” he murmured as he slowly pulled the dormant beamblade from its sheath. “How does it work?”
“Every weapon dispensed by the government is created to fit its owner’s needs. Therefore, it only becomes activated when held by the person it was custom designed for,” Jaiya explained. “This reduces the risk of violence amongst our citizens and helps identify criminals.”
“Can you show me what it looks like when activated?”
“Sire, is that wise?” Raizxl cautioned, eyeing Jaiya with distrust in his silver eyes.
“We have to start somewhere,” Erlyn commented. “Besides, are you worried that a human might overtake a room full of warriors?”
“I assure you, the last thing I want to do is rekindle this war for another twenty-five years. If it was my intention to hurt anyone, I would have done so by now.” Jaiya drilled her stare into the three arguing males. “It is highly offensive for you to suggest that I would jeopardize my mission when there are countless lives at stake.”
The hangar fell silent as everyone’s focus fixed upon her. Jaiya jerked her head up with the same cocky arrogance with which all the egotistical males in her life presented themselves. She had come across enough pompous males over the course of her career to know how to mimic their superior attitude. If acting like a self-important ass would achieve her the results she needed, all while keeping her secret safe, then a self-important ass she would become.
“If you want to see my beamblade in action, then return it to me, and I will show you,” Jaiya dared the prince, crossing her arms.
Without hesitation, Idris sheathed her weapon and held it out to her, accepting her challenge.
Tension filled the air as they waited for her next move.
In one fluid movement, Jaiya snatched the weapon from his hand and pulled the knife from its sheath. Her thumb rolled over the bio-switch, activating the bright green laser blade.
The energy blade itself was about the length of her hand as it glowed in her grip.
A blaster pistol was pointed directly at her head. “Drop the weapon!” Raizxl demanded, his deep voice booming.
The sounds of multiple guns being pulled and loaded filled the room. She suppressed the shiver that threatened to pass through her.
Jaiya sighed and dropped her beamblade and its sheath to the ground.
She was annoyed by the lack of trust these males had in her, even after the points she had made. There were better ways to die, and at one time, she’d thought trying to forge an alliance with the Daextru was one of them. But she had only complied with the prince’s request to display how her weapon worked. A threat of deadly force for fulfilling his wish was uncalled for.
“If this is an indication of how our talks will be, I should just turn around right now and not waste anyone’s time,” she hissed. “Tell me now, Prince Idris, and I will be on my way and out of your hair.”
“Everyone is dismissed,” Idris shouted, his voice ringing through the hangar bay.
Jaiya didn’t dare to flinch as she continued to stare down the barrel of a gun aimed at her face. In her peripheral vision, she could see the security personnel all scrambling to leave—all but the male who continued to point his pistol at her, unfazed by the prince’s command.
“Stand down, Raizxl, before I make you.”
Jaiya sucked in a deep breath as the pistol disappeared from her vision. Every molecule of her body screamed to fight, but she feared any movement could worsen the situation. Her hand twitched, itching to grab the beamblade off the floor and defend herself against this rebellious guard.
How was she supposed to trust him to guard her if he couldn’t even listen to his superior?
“Raizxl, I want you to grab Diplomat Lian’s belongings and take them to his assigned guest room, then meet me at my office.” Idris bent down, and his long black hair cascaded over his shoulder, the curtain of hair blocking his eyes as he sheathed the beamblade. He tucked his hair behind one shoulder as he stood and passed her weapon to his assistant. “We will return this to you before you leave in order to prevent any more misunderstandings.”
Raizxl walked past, nearly bumping into her on his way to her fighter. She watched him as he picked up her travel cases effortlessly and left the hangar.
She crossed her arms and stared at the male who would decide the fate of their future. If he couldn’t keep his subordinates in line, how were they supposed to negotiate an end to this war?
“I want to apologize for how poorly my welcome party has acted. I promise you I will correct their behavior before the next time we meet.”
“And I am supposed to believe that I will be able to walk within the halls of your starbase without any more incidents?” she asked pointedly. “You are entrusting my safety to a security guard who already doesn’t trust me and probably would rather have me killed than protect me.”
Erlyn shot a glance at the prince, whose teal eyes hardened.
“You have my word that nothing will happen to you unless provoked within these walls,” Idris assured. “Believe me when I tell you that the Daextru are just as interested in this peace treaty as the Cosmic Trinity Alliance, and I will not tolerate any behavior that jeopardizes this opportunity.”
“I want to believe you, but actions have proven otherwise.”
The purple male stepped closer, as if he was shielding the prince from her.
“How about I show you your quarters?” Erlyn asked gently. “You have traveled a long distance and have already had a stressful day.”
“I could use some time alone to relax after my trip.”
An awkward silence fell upon the trio as they left the hangar bay. The hallways bey
ond were mainly empty. Any Daextru they came across nodded their heads as they passed by. Eventually, Prince Idris excused himself to handle matters on his starbase.
Even though only a few workers lingered in the hallways, Jaiya was surprised by the wide variety of colors she saw. The hue of their scales ranged from metallic to lustrous precious gems. Each sported a main scale color across their chest, accompanied by an artistic display of larger scales in one to three colors that traveled from hips up along the back and around the neck. Their tail matched that coloring as well. Every set of horns was unique, whether they were tall and thick, tiny and curvy, beginning from the temple or behind the ears.
All had long, flowing hair, and a few residents they passed by had some sort of bead ornament threaded in the locks or dangling from one horn. It worried her that many eyes flicked to her hair first before they nodded and dropped their gaze. Perhaps she would’ve probably fit in better with her long hair, if she hadn’t cut it to hide her identity.
They took a lift to the residential guest floor, where all the special visitors and clients resided. A pair of security guards nodded as they exited the lift.
“You are the only guest staying on this floor at the moment. We prepared for more . . .”
“But I was the only one who came.”
“Correct.” He sighed, stopping in front of a cabin door.
Jaiya didn’t miss her beamblade strapped to his black pants, nor the tablet that hung next to it. It would probably be easy to overtake him and take back what was hers, but what would that accomplish? She would only heighten tensions between the species. She was surprised he seemed somewhat comfortable walking alongside her, alone in the hallway.
Or perhaps she should be the one worrying about being alone with him?
His pale green eyes widened as he caught her gaze on her weapon. He instantly tilted that side of his body away, watching her reaction. When none came, he exhaled.
“I hope you will forgive what happened in the hangar bay. If it was up to me, I would allow you your weapon—not for a measure of defense, but as a symbol of trust. If there is anything else that I could do to put you at ease, please let me know, and I will see to it.”
“What is the one thing you wish to come of my presence?”
“Honestly?” he murmured, confused. “Peace.”
“That is why I am here.”
“This is the guest cabin assigned to you.” Erlyn selected a few buttons on the display and pressed his hand to the wall. “If you place your hand upon the scanner, it will save your data and give you access to your room.”
“I take it there are others who will be able to enter my room?” Jaiya asked, following his directions. The moon base had a similar set-up for private cabins.
The door slid open and a wall of humidity smacked into her immediately.
Jaiya stepped over the threshold, confused by what she found beyond.
The space consisted of one large room with no other doors. The most surprising and confounding item within the room was a small stairway leading up to a box of fine greenish-gray sand about the shape of a king-size bed. Dividing the raised sandbox from the rest of the room were two lounge platforms in two different wave-like wedge shapes. The sand platform transitioned into a stone-tiled waterfall-like shower equipped with a bench in one corner. A variety of plants spanned the entire back wall, heavy with hanging vines, flowers, and fruit.
If she hadn’t been told this was her room, she would have thought it was some sort of indoor greenhouse with a patio sitting area. Her travel cases sat on its centered glass table.
“Are you sure this is it?”
“Is there a problem?” Erlyn asked, his voice laced with concern. “Prince Idris picked this room personally for the lead diplomat. It is equipped with fresh bedding sand and plants grown from the royal family stock.”
“Bedding sand? You can’t be serious.”
His silver prehensile tail danced behind him as confusion laced his expression. “We sleep in the sand; it cleanses us every night, retaining the warmth from the plant’s solar lamps.”
Jaiya scooped up a hand of the warm sand, feeling its silkiness as it fell between her fingers. It reminded her of the volcanic mud baths that were popular amongst the rich on the three major planets in the Cosmic Trinity Alliance.
“You bathe in this?”
“We cover ourselves in it every night. The sand removes dead scales and foreign particles and helps repair everyday damage,” Erlyn explained. “Each morning, we grab an offering from the wall garden, to clean our teeth, and freshen our breath before we rinse off the night’s sand in the shower.”
“I thought you hosted the diplomatic party twenty-five years ago. You should have known that humans don’t sleep or wash in a pile of sand.” She pulled open the wall drawers, finding them empty. “We have mattresses wrapped in fine cloth, equipped with pillows and blankets.” After failing to find anything normal to sleep in, she faced the confused assistant. “Have you truly never heard of such things?”
“This starbase was not yet built when the original meeting took place. The human representatives insisted on staying aboard their ship between talks. The other species we have come across within the galaxy are accustomed to similar living conditions. This is the first time I have heard about this human custom.” Erlyn pulled out his tablet and frantically jotted down notes. “Is there anything else I should know?”
Jaiya surveyed the room once more, making sure she didn’t overlook a hidden door. When none was found, she eyed the shower stall-like corner. “Where do I go to relieve myself?”
He pointed in the direction she feared. “In the grate along the wall,” he choked, his face darkening. “Daextru waste is liquid, and both genders urinate while standing. Our waste is collected and used as fertilizer.”
“It is a good thing that I came alone after all,” Jaiya sighed, crossing her arms. “While this room may be a fine spa destination for a day trip, as living quarters the room is unacceptable.”
Erlyn flinched, as if she had hit him. “You can’t be serious. I know you are not a spa worker. These are the finest rooms on the starbase, other than the royal suites.”
“Spa worker?”
Jaiya tested the Dzexet word in her mouth a few times as she tried to identify the error in translation. Whatever spa was, she had somehow offended him by describing the space that way.
“Yes, I assure you that no one on this starbase believes that you are a pleasure attendant.” His tail twitched as he locked his pale eyes with hers, projecting reassurance. “It is of utmost importance to us that this peace treaty is successful. Offending you is our greatest worry.”
Ahh, a ‘spa’ to them must be the equivalent of a ‘whore house’ to humans.
Pleasure workers weren’t illegal in the Cosmic Trinity Alliance. In fact, there were whole islands and resorts dedicated to fulfilling visitors’ wildest dreams. If one had a kink, there was a safe place to practice it. While Jaiya had never been to any of them since she avoided going planetside, she understood their importance; they gave the people a secure space to live out their darkest fantasies.
But that didn’t help her here.
What could she do in order to make the best of the situation without offending her hosts any more than she already had? Clearly, they believed that these rooms were the best they had to offer.
At one point in time, humans had lived in caves and clay huts. While this may not be the standard of living in today’s time, there were still extreme adventurers who trekked into the wilderness to live off the land.
She could make do for the course of the mission. They would provide all other necessities she needed to survive, she was sure—things would just be a little more barbaric than usual.
“Is there anything I can do in order to make the remainder of your time with us more pleasant? Anything you need that isn’t already here?”
She glanced around the room one more time and shrugged. “I would gre
atly appreciate a blanket, if there is any way you can bring one. For everything else, I will make do.”
He sighed in relief and nodded, writing on his tablet. “I’ll see what I can do while you have dinner with the prince.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes, the prince invites you to dine with him in a few hours.” Erlyn paused whatever he was doing on his tablet and eyed her cautiously. “I am shocked you weren’t informed—it was in the itinerary composed by your superiors.” He pursed his lips in thought. “But your lack of knowledge makes sense, I suppose, since it seems they didn’t want to inform us about changes to the genome either.”
“You mean their decision to send only me.”
“An armed diplomat without an escort, piloting a fighter alone,” he replied pointedly, attaching his tablet to his utility belt. “They stated you were highly skilled. We didn’t know what exactly that entailed.”
Highly skilled, my ass.
The CTA diplomats had tried to sell Aydin out, and Jaiya didn’t know why. She wanted to believe that they thought this mission was going to fail and didn’t want to make the trip on the chance of never coming back. But something about the whole situation didn’t feel right.
One thing was for sure: she was glad she had come instead of Aydin because there was no way he could have handled this mission—with or without her.
“How much time do I have to get ready? I must not leave Prince Idris waiting.”
“Explain yourselves.”
“There is nothing to explain, Sire,” Commander Ajexk mumbled, unable to meet his gaze.
“I refuse to accept that answer,” Idris hissed, eyeing the males who had greatly disappointed him. “You both know better. You know how much these talks mean to our people and yet acted disgracefully. Do I need to find replacements capable of doing your jobs?”
“No, Sire.” Ajexk shot a glance at Raizxl. “It won’t happen again.”
“It better not,” Idris growled, whipping his dagger out and tossing it onto the table. “Next time, I won’t hesitate to cut your hair in front of a room of witnesses. If you threaten harm to Diplomat Lian, or any other guest of ours, ever again, I will give them the honor of taking away your own.”