by Jade Waltz
“From what I can tell by the evidence they provided, what Dipl—Wing Captain Lian said is true.” Erlyn regarded him from the display table’s screen. “All of it, including the Vresqoxk tributes.”
Idris shuddered.
The Vresqoxk were a disgusting species who planted their eggs in any orifice large enough to support them. Recently they had been trying to breed with their war captives, in hopes of creating hybrids. They were the reason why some female warriors purposely sterilized themselves before flying into active duty. There were enough fertile females at home, and males beside them, to keep the population steady.
But the soldiers fighting on the frontlines and protecting their territory still sought comfort in each other’s arms. Idris wasn’t blind. He saw the lovers, friends, and flings race off together after combat to purge their sorrows and battlelust the best way they knew how—with each other.
This was the reason why some thought Idris and Erlyn were involved sexually. Not only was he his assistant, but they were always together.
Erlyn had been taught the basics of piloting and combat, but he never fought in the war. His skills were needed only in case of an emergency, when no one else was available to pilot a vessel. It was his job to relay commands and provide battle support from the starbase or command ship. Idris assumed that was why he never felt the need to relieve himself after combat. Erlyn was more likely to blow off steam on his tablet, coming up with some new ideas.
Idris refused to seek another’s company after a battle, mainly because he didn’t want to give anyone the wrong impression. He had purposely posted himself on the starbase to escape females who only wanted him for their own gain. A sense of detachment served him better than meaningless sex in times of war. In order to burn off his battle lust, his hand and tail had become his best friends since he had arrived.
And then she had shown up, twice in his life.
When he’d met her on the battlefield, he had been smitten from the first time she had glared at him through the comms and snapped back in Dzexet. No other pilot had taken the time or energy to study his language, and yet, she had done so in order to yell profanities back at him.
And he had loved it.
It was a thrill to come across her in battle and dance that deadly dance. He never aimed directly at her, missing shots on purpose to prolong their game. Every battle they fought, she had devised a new threat or insult to spit at him to try to break his focus.
And she had.
She’d been the first person to ever hit him in a duel, even though her shot had not been to kill.
In the end, seeing her face beam with glory had been well worth the disabled starstorm.
And then soon after that, she had come to him, disguised as a male.
He had found something about him familiar, but it had never dawned on him that the diplomat he dealt with was more than just the twin of the female he’d become obsessed with.
Her diplomatic skills weren’t spectacular, but they were good enough to get the job done. It was her skill with the beamblade that should’ve tipped him off. While most diplomats did take self-defense classes, her prowess with a weapon had allowed her to protect him against five attackers at once before she had received any help.
His discovery of her true identity had ungrounded him. He’d spent days agonizing over what he was attracted to—when instead, he should have been asking who.
Jaiya made him question himself in ways he never imagined.
At one point of time, he’d been on the verge of asking Erlyn to kiss him, just to see if he was indeed attracted to males. Idris quickly dismissed that notion, not wanting to cross a boundary with his assistant by accidentally pressuring him into an uncomfortable situation.
That was an abuse of power he never wanted to commit. Idris knew he couldn’t have made it as far in life without his assistant. So the fact that he was even considering breaking that boundary made him realize just how deeply she affected him.
And now Jaiya Lian had arrived once again in his life. Her wing had risked their lives and turned their backs on their careers to save their captain; that spoke volumes about their character. And instead of worrying about herself, she had risked retracing the journey that started it all, just so she could have the opportunity to help his people.
She hadn’t cared if he hated her, or that their relationship was still raw and unresolved. No, she had stormed right in to demand sanctuary in exchange for all the information they had.
And he would be a fool to decline the offer.
“Ajexk, open a com to Hwonk. I need to speak to my sister immediately.”
The commander nodded.
A moment later, the display flickered, and a silver-scaled male with golden hair answered.
He scanned the room before tilting his horns in greeting. “What can I do for you, Prince Idris? Your sister has just begun a meeting. If this isn’t urgent, I can have her com you back at her earliest convenience.”
“This is an emergency. I need to speak to her right away.”
“Yes, Sire.” He nodded. “One moment.”
The com’s connection paused, a shooting star spinning in a circle displayed in its place.
Ushyaz appeared, her face filled with worry.
“What is it, brother?”
“You’re about to be attacked by CTA forces.”
She searched his eyes, confusion lacing her own.
“What makes you believe this?”
He told her everything.
“Idris, I have never been more ashamed of you,” she scolded. “If their story checked out, why aren’t you already granting them safe harbor? That female has risked her life multiple times for our people. Her government sold her out. The least we can do is take her in as one of our own. A warrior’s soul should never be turned away just because their body doesn’t reflect what you expected.” Her golden eyes hardened, challenging him. “You had better fix whatever’s stewing between you two and find some common ground.”
“And what do you suggest I do with her entourage?”
“Take in her wing, if you trust them. I am going to put them under your command.”
“And the tributes?”
“See if any of them have any useful skills—the ones who do, we can keep. The ones who don’t . . . we will figure something out. I am sure the Overseer can find a place for them somewhere. It’s not our job to worry about that.” She shot a glance off-screen. “I am going to discuss the change of plans with my fleet. Please have Erlyn send Hwonk all the information you’ve gathered.”
“May the Stars guide you, sister.”
“I should be the one telling you that.”
Idris entered the hangar’s lounge, ready to tell the humans about the news.
Raizxl greeted him at the door.
“How many?” he asked, scanning the room full of chatter.
“Twelve pilots, if you include Jaiya and fifty-one female tributes.”
Idris winced at that number. How were they supposed to support sixty-three humans? He didn’t have enough spare guards to watch each of them. They didn’t even have enough extra cabins to fit them all. He would need to contact his mother as soon as possible.
His gaze landed on the woman who had enthralled him since the beginning.
As if she felt the weight of his stare, she paused her conversation with a bronze-skinned woman with onyx hair, which seemed to have a life of its own. He never saw the amount of curls she had before in his life.
Jaiya turned to him and tilted her head in the Daextru greeting, which he returned before making his way to her. The room fell silent as soon as his presence was noted, all focus on his coming announcement.
“Captain Lian,” he greeted, stopping before her.
“Prince Idris.”
“I have come to inform you that after much consideration, we have decided to grant you sanctuary.” He smiled, hoping to ease the tension in the room. “But under one condition. We are a starbase. We
are not equipped to house refugees and cannot support the number of tributes you have brought with you.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?”
“I’d like to offer your wing the opportunity to defend this starbase under my command.”
She shot a glance at the corner of the room, where a cluster of women sat, huddled together for comfort. “And the refugees?”
“My crew will find out if any of them have any skills useful to the base. Those that do not will be relocated.” He crossed his arms, following her gaze. “I will speak to the Overseer to create a solution, but Jaiya, we are not a shelter. This is a military starbase. Before you arrived, we never housed a single guest of another species, let alone sixty-three.”
“I understand,” she sighed. “I’m just relieved you’re willing to help us.” She shot a glance at the curly-haired female beside her, who nodded, before returning her attention to him. “Let me talk it over with my wing and get back to you before I accept your offer. All I ask is that you try to house us all together. At least for the initial relocation. I know it may not be plausible long term, but . . .” She bit her lip as she shot a glance at the huddled group of females, switching her language to Dzexet. “It seems that some of the guards decided to test the tributes before they were offered to the Vresqoxk. If you have any female guards, please assign them to these women to ease their fear.”
His heart stilled at the thought of these innocent females being captured and abused at the hands of worthless excuses for males. How could they live with themselves?
“Did they . . .” He growled, failing to hide the rage that burned inside him. The Daextru would never do such a thing, capture females as a bartering tool. If any of his males—or females—were ever caught abusing a prisoner, he would eject them out of an airlock to die a painful death in open space.
“No. I was one of the lucky ones.” She shrugged. “They should have taken out their anger on me. I was the one who protected you and betrayed my people.” She snorted. “And in the end, they betrayed us all.”
He gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him. “Don’t you ever think like that,” he hissed, shaking her gently. “It was not your fault that the CTA decided to turn their backs on their people. Their actions do not reflect on you. Don’t you ever believe that you deserve such things.”
The gold in her green eyes danced. “I’m glad you’ve finally come to realize that all I ever wanted was to protect my people. Those who govern my people have decided not to protect their own.”
“My people can be yours, if you would allow it,” he breathed. “All you have to do is to swear yourself to me.”
The fight in her eyes dimmed, sadness seeping in. “But what of my brother? My father? This whole room is filled with people who just lost their families. I’m used to taking orders; I don’t know how to lead a bunch of rebels.”
“Then take orders from me, and I’ll see what I can do about those families.” He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze before letting go. “But Jaiya, this is war. I can’t guarantee anything.”
“I understand,” she nodded, scanning the room. “Every day brings something different.”
His eyes drank in Jaiya’s silhouette in a long, strapless gown that shimmered like the blue jewel that she was, its cutouts teasing all who gazed upon her. She’d pulled her long, flowing hair up in a bun, leaving delicate tendrils free to frame her face. A simple silver necklace dangled gracefully around her neck. His eyes never left her face as he reached for her cheek, only to be disappointed when his hand passed through the hologram, reminding him that she wasn’t real. The female he yearned for was not standing before him; it was only an image of her past.
Idris took a swig of his drink as he reclined in his chair, eyeing the display before him. The lock of her hair lay braided on his desk, with her letter folded neatly next to it.
Over the last few days, she had become his obsession.
Now that she’d returned to his base, under his protection, he dared to hope that she would swear herself to him.
Her Rear Wing Pilot and friend, Zaera, had gifted him a holodisk filled with Jaiya’s memories. She was able to copy the data off the original, which Jaiya had left behind in the locker on the moon base she’d called home. Zaera told him the memories would help him understand her captain’s actions.
Jaiya’s happiest moments were times when she was rewarded for her service. She worked so hard to make a name for herself, only to be betrayed by her own people.
The holodisk was filled with images and videos of Jaiya’s past—achievements, rewards, and rare slices of real-life captured in pictures taken of her unaware.
There was a common theme—she was always alone. The only two people who made consistent appearances were a male, who, by looks, had to be her twin brother and Zaera. Other random people made appearances here and there, but he couldn’t find anyone who looked like her father.
Why wasn’t he ever around?
Jaiya Lian had been the perfect soldier—up until the mission that had changed everything.
He stared at the hologram, picturing what she would look like with her long, black hair down around her shoulders. Gauging the length of the chunk of hair she left him, he could estimate it had been as long as his—if not longer.
Perhaps my sister was right about her carrying a warrior’s soul, born in the wrong body.
He tried to picture her standing by his side, helping him lead their people to victory.
“Are you going to keep staring at that all day? Or are you going to go get her?”
Idris effortlessly located his assistant—his brother, in all purposes—leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a look of disappointment on his face.
“What do you mean?” Idris asked, sipping his drink.
“Ever since she returned, you have become obsessed, tracking down any and every little thing you can learn about her,” he scoffed. “You won’t gain her affection by acting like some lovesick stalker and watching her from afar.” Erlyn pushed off the wall and strolled toward his desk, studying Jaiya’s hologram intently. “I am not the only one who has noticed this, and people are starting to talk. What is preventing you, Prince Idris of the Daextru, from talking to her? I have never seen you this tied up in knots before.”
“I pushed her away, and I don’t know how to fix it,” Idris confessed, placing his glass on his desk. “And it’s hard for me to reconcile the pilot I knew with the diplomat she became during our peace talks. In my heart, I know they are the same person, but my mind keeps wanting to separate them.” He ended the hologram and gathered up all the belongings that reminded him of her, placing them in his desk safe. “Did you know, at one point, I debated asking you if I could kiss you? I wanted to see if I was attracted to males or just her.”
“Yet now you know that you have been drawn to Jaiya Lian, the female human captain, all along,” Erlyn said pointedly. “If I were you, I would act on that knowledge.”
“What should I do?”
“You can start by talking to her. Telling me about your feelings—or whatever this is—is not going to clear the air between you and her.” He pulled up his tablet and made a few swipes. “It looks like she’s practicing alone in the arena. I’m betting Raizxl would enjoy a break from guard duty. Which reminds me, why have you assigned her a guard? I understand your decision to post guards around her wing and on the tributes’ floor, but I thought you trusted her.”
“I did—I do.” He growled, shaking his head in frustration. “I trust her enough to let her walk around with her beamblade. It’s not her I’m worried about. I don’t want anyone who bears ill will against humans to hurt her.”
“If their information helps Ushyaz win the war, she’ll practically be a war hero. As it is, she saved your life. No one should have a problem with her.”
“But I don’t want to take any chances,” he breathed. “She may bear my scales, but we aren’t starmates. And I can’t be with her all th
e time.”
“Then go be with her now, while you can,” Erlyn snorted. “Sitting in here isn’t going to solve anything.”
Idris carefully entered Jaiya’s practice room, trying not to disturb her sparring match. He stood in the corner and intently watched her gracefully dodge and attack an unfamiliar human male. It seemed that in her spare time, she had learned how to custom-build an AI projection model.
Her display was almost erotic as she moved fluidly around the glowing male.
“I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch!”
Idris’ awareness instantly jumped to high alert, his body instinctively reacting to her sudden threat.
He had to keep telling himself that she wasn’t angry at him, but was instead taking her aggression out on the AI sparring partner. The fine detail in her insults and taunts made his ears burn.
A gasp escaped her as she fell to the ground, gripping her previously injured side.
“Fuck, that hurt,” she muttered as the AI stalked closer, energy blade down.
Idris automatically jumped to her defense, drawing his practice blade as he lunged to block the ‘killing’ blow. He swiped his leg, knocking the projection to the ground before thrusting his weapon into the AI’s heart.
It instantly disintegrated, leaving the default blue sphere in its place and triggering his living suit to glow blue.
“Thank you,” Jaiya muttered.
He moved over to the spot where she’d fallen.
Jaiya’s pained expression turned to shock as soon as he reached her.
“Idris? When did you get here?” she asked, wincing as she held her side.
“Forget about me,” he murmured, studying her body. “What can I do for you? What hurts?”
“I think the program reopened my wound when it struck me,” she mumbled.
“May I have a look?” His eyes locked onto hers. “I can make it feel better.”
Jaiya glanced away, her cheeks darkening even in the room’s dim light. “What will you do?”
“Either I can take you to the infirmary and have them mend you. Or I can call Doctor Qatszo and have him come here to inspect you.” Idris looked down at the hand covering her wound, the tips of his ears burning. “Lastly, I could help you, here and now.”