by Regine Abel
“I can’t believe this,” I whispered, the wind knocked out of me. “How did I not see or hear any of this?”
“You were too busy performing your overwhelming duties,” Aleina said with an indulgent smile. “I dumped a heck of a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders when I gave up my Admiral Lee persona. You have done such a phenomenal job advancing the construction of Haven and reinforcing our defenses. Even without the Xelixian alliance, unless the entire galaxy joins forces against us, Tuur is impregnable.”
“Even without the Xelixian alliance?” I asked, bewildered. “What are you saying?”
“I am saying that our Sisters on Haven have declared that, going forward, they wish to seek mates among Terrans, Dantorians, and Aveans. Our genes are dominant. Our children will come out looking fully Veredian just like they used to come out fully Xelixian when those females mated with Tainted males,” Aleina said, sounding somewhat defeated. “The Council of Elders also requests that we hold a vote among our Sisters here on Xelix Prime for us to leave this planet permanently.”
“But what of your mates? What of Ghan? What of…”
“If it comes to that, Ghan will follow me,” Aleina interrupted.
I gave her ‘the look’ at such presumption.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the cocky, controlling bitch I used to be. He and I have already discussed it,” she said. “Amalia and her mates are having a similar discussion. Zhul and my mother’s mate, Minh, have already agreed they would leave Xelix Prime if the rest of us do. Minh never thought to have a child one day. When Mother gave birth to my baby brother last year, it changed everything for him. His mate and child come before anything else, even his home world. He had only hoped to cure the Taint before he left.”
“This doesn’t sound like a discussion about a potential course of action. You all sound like the decision has already been made,” I exclaimed, unsure if I felt more angry, betrayed or just overwhelmed.
Aleina cast a final glance at her son through the window, then walked back towards me. “No decision has been made. But if I were an Oracle, I’m sure at least two of the paths I’d see involved us leaving for Haven.
“Is that what you want?” I asked.
She didn’t answer right away, pausing to give the question some serious thought. That she didn’t immediately say ‘no’ told me everything.
“I love this house,” Aleina said at last, glancing around the room. “I love the climate of this planet, and I’ve become quite the ryspak addict,” she added with a bit of a giggle. “This is the only home my children have ever known. But it isn’t home. They have welcomed us and sheltered us in our time of need, and for this, I’ll forever be grateful to Xelix Prime. But their society is too different from ours. How many of our Sisters mingle with their people? Most of us avoid their city centers because we do not share their values, and their class divisions are offensive to us.”
“Our influence has changed them,” I argued, feebly. On my way here, I’d been thinking exactly along those lines.
“We are guests in their world. It is not our place to try and change them or impose our ways,” Aleina said, placing her palms on my shoulders. “If we wish to remain here, we will have to assimilate to their ways and their culture. This is not what I want for my children, and frankly not what I want for myself.”
“So, we just run away?” I asked, feeling irrationally angry and confused. I understood her arguments, but all of this felt wrong. “We came here in our time of need, took everything they had to offer, used them to get our cure, and now we just waltz out and leave them back where they started?”
“It’s not like that at all, Kamala. You know better,” Aleina said with a stern tone. “We—”
An emergency call buzzed on my com. I opened it with the speaker on.
“Larissa?” I said as sole greeting to the caller, all my senses on alert.
“There’s been an incident at Tharmita School,” said Larissa, one of Amalia’s young half-sisters. “Vahl kept the whole situation under control, but the teachers and some parents are asking the Veredian children be sent home.”
“Fuck me,” I muttered. “On my way. Keep everyone calm until I get there.”
“Understood,” Larissa said.
I exchanged a tense look with Aleina while shoving my feet back into my boots.
“Kamala, it’s only going to keep escalating,” Aleina said with a defeated voice. “I know you’re not a quitter. But, sometimes, you need to accept when a battle cannot be won, regroup, and live to fight another day.”
“Admiral Lee never would have said that,” I challenged her.
“Admiral Lee knew when to make concessions. It’s all about spinning the tale so you remain on top. Remember the day we first met Mercy, and I made a mess of things? I apologized without ever actually apologizing to her. Never let them see you sweat.” Aleina cupped my face in her hands, her golden eyes boring into mine. “I trust in you to make whatever decision you deem right for the safety of our children. But remember that the power resides in the hands of whoever controls the narrative.” Leaning forward, she kissed my forehead like she used to after tucking me in bed in the dorms of the breeding compound, then let go of me.
I nodded and walked away, my Tuurean armor forming around me as I raced down the stairs to mount my hoverbike. It took me barely nine minutes to complete the normally fifteen-minute ride. Lucky for me, no law enforcement officer lurked around this very quiet, if not uppity, neighborhood. I pulled up to the school where Amalia’s sisters, Camelia and Larissa, were doing their best to calm increasingly upset parents.
Under different circumstances, the unmistakable look of relief on their faces would have made me smile.
“What seems to be the problem,” I asked in my Tuurean, synthetic voice.
Once more, the power conferred to us by our Tuurean personas was plain to see. The parents who had been harassing Camelia and Larissa—both in their Veredian appearance with civilian clothes—suddenly quieted down upon seeing me. My black, celesium armor, my helmet with the shiny, dark visor that completely hid my features, and my long, armored braid with the sharp blade dangling at the tip screamed ‘don’t fuck with me’ to anyone who beheld me. The robotic sound created by my voice modulator, made me even more intimidating. Aside from the Korletheans who knew our secret, and the close members of the First Division—the elite military unit directly under Khel’s command—the rest of the galaxy continued to believe the Tuureans were cyborgs with the most powerful army in the known universe.
No one wanted to mess with us.
The mere thought of giving this up made my stomach churn. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on this. I needed these parents to piss off so that I could do some damage control with Seha Velthan, the school director.
“One of those Veredian boys assaulted my child and broke his nose with a floating disk,” one of the Xelixian females said.
“That is a lie, Xelixian,” Larissa hissed. “Remember well your own laws on defamation and slander.”
I smirked at Larissa’s fire, grateful for my visor hiding my expression. The female slightly paled, but didn’t relent, lifting her chin in defiance.
“We all saw the footage from the security cameras. My baby was pouring blood; you can still see it all over his clothes!” the mother said, gesturing at a young Xelixian boy, half hiding behind his mother.
The other parents nodded their agreement, and looked at me in outrage, as if expecting me to grant them justice.
“It was an accident which Zhara—another Veredian—quickly mended,” Larissa countered. “I see no broken nose on your son.”
“But that doesn’t erase the pain he endured,” she snapped. “Just a little higher, and he would have killed my little Pohl!”
“First of all, what was a floating disk doing in the courtyard?” I asked. “Aren’t such toys specifically forbidden to avoid this very type of incident?”
A couple of the paren
ts suddenly grew extremely fascinated by the ground or their surroundings.
“That’s beside the point,” the mother shrugged.
“It is the main point considering that without one of your children disobeying that rule, this incident wouldn’t have taken place to begin with,” I countered.
“Absolutely,” Seha Velthan said with a firm, and clearly displeased, tone. “The culprit has been identified. He will receive proper disciplinary measures, and the parents will be fined.”
“But my son…”
“Let’s see the footage of this so-called ‘attack’ on your son,” I interrupted, fighting the urge to strangle the hag who clearly wanted nothing more than to escalate this as much as possible.
Seha Velthan showed us the footage on the screen of her datapad. Pohl and four other children were playing with the floating disk in an isolated section of the schoolyard. Sylvius had been walking alongside the building with his little brother, lost in an animated conversation. Just as they cleared the corner into the courtyard, Pohl flicked his light at the floating disk. As per the game’s design, the disk darted off in a random direction, which unfortunately sent it straight at Sylvius. The kinetic Titan, who had been looking at his brother, saw his expression of fear and turned just in time to see the disk about to strike him. On reflex, he flicked his hand, sending the disk dashing back in the direction from whence it came; right at Pohl’s face. The Xelixian boy failed to dodge, and blood exploded from his nose.
Pohl collapsed to the ground, screaming, while the other children shouted for help, yelling that Sylvius had attacked the boy. Moments later, as teachers came running in, Vahl, Zhara, and Rhadames, appeared a couple of meters from the wounded boy, thanks to Rhad’s teleport power. The other children cowered while Vahl called everyone to calm, saying all would be fine. Zhara rushed to Pohl’s side and, using her healing ability, fully mended his broken nose in seconds.
I looked up at the mother who pinched her lips and averted her eyes, not acting so cocky anymore. She’d obviously already seen that footage. But seeing it again really drove home that she didn’t have a leg to stand on.
“Your child was attacked?” I asked in my chilliest voice, made even icier by my voice modulator. “What this feed shows is that, if not for Sylvius’s psi power, he would have been severely injured by your child’s negligence. Based on the trajectory of the disk and the speed at which it came, it would have struck Sylvius on the temple with enough strength to potentially kill him. What would you have said, then?”
Pohl’s mother opened and closed her mouth a few times without any words coming out.
“If you wish to file a formal complaint, we will gladly meet you in court to assess which child was wronged,” I said before turning to the other parents. “As for the matter of the disk, I will confer with Sylvius’s parents to find out if they wish to file a complaint against the negligent parents who allowed it to be brought onto the premises, and the school for permitting the children to play with it in the schoolyard.”
“I am sure there will be no need to escalate this further,” Seha Velthan quickly intervened, while some of the parents muttered some nervous protest. “No one is injured, the disk has been confiscated, and the child who brought it and those who played with it will be disciplined. As far as I’m concerned, this case is closed. Agreed?” she said, staring intently at the parents.
I held my breath, only to release it when the parents reluctantly agreed, some of them grabbing their children before heading off.
“If I may, I would have a word with you in private, Seha Kamala,” Director Velthan said.
“Of course,” I replied, worry coming back with a vengeance.
Although relieved to see the parents gone, Camelia and Larissa clearly shared my concern that whatever the school director wanted to discuss wouldn’t be pleasant.
“We’ll stick around until the end of classes to make sure nothing else happens,” Larissa said.
I nodded. To my surprise, instead of leading me inside the building to her office, the director gestured for me to walk with her into the small park adjacent to the school. It struck me then that she didn’t want to risk our conversations being overheard or recorded by the school’s security system. We walked quietly until we were well out of hearing range of anyone. The park being empty made it all the easier.
“Lieutenant Kamala,” Director Velthan said, “I would be in a great deal of trouble if what I’m about to tell you became public. But your children and the Veredians deserved to be warned.” She took in a deep breath, clasped her hands before her, and then looked straight at me. “There is a vote being held in the school board to expel all Veredians from our schools. The vote will take place on Friday with the final results effective as of Monday.”
I flinched inwardly. While my face would have no doubt showed my shock if not for my mask, my body betrayed nothing thanks to years of practice playing the ever-stoic Tuurean Warrior Kamala.
“I can already tell you that the vote is merely a formality,” she said apologetically, an embarrassed look on her face. “As of Monday, no Veredian child will be allowed inside our schools or in our schoolyards.”
“That is discrimination. It is illegal,” I snarled.
“It is not discrimination,” the Director snapped back, her tone hardening. “I can see why you might feel that way, but this is not about their race.”
“Terrans, Dantorians, and Avean children aren’t being expelled,” I argued.
“They don’t have powers,” Seha Velthan countered. She sighed heavily and shook her head as if discouraged. “I love children. I want nothing but the best for all the young placed in my care. The Veredian children are among the sweetest and most polite I’ve ever encountered. Your species is naturally devoted to caring for others, and it shows. But as much as I want to see them thrive, even I will be relieved when they are gone.”
This time, I couldn’t help but recoil. Ever since the first incidents had started occurring months ago, Director Velthan had been one of the children’s staunchest defenders.
“What happened? What made you change your view?” I asked, bewildered.
“I’m terrified of your children,” the woman admitted. “We’re helpless to protect the other students or ourselves if a Veredian ever loses control. Every year, I see the power of some of your children increase exponentially. The ‘normal’ ones wouldn’t be as problematic, but those like the Praghans who grow faster than the others have the power to kill. Xelixian boys do not get their fangs before the age of twelve, and their venoms aren’t toxic before the age of fifteen. The Praghans and Sylvius are aged between five and seven but look like ten-year olds. Not only do they already have their fangs, both their venoms can inflict lethal doses. Even if we forgot about those crazy psi powers, for that alone, we couldn’t keep your children here. Young Xelixian males fight often, and they tend to bite when they do. Yours could eviscerate them with their claws and kill them in seconds with their venoms. It’s just not safe.”
“The decision is made, then?” I stated more than asked in a clipped tone.
The Director hesitated. “There is only one thing that would pacify the parents. But you probably will not agree to it.”
“We’re not putting gloves or collars on our children to shackle their abilities,” I snapped, anticipating what would follow.
The Director sighed heavily and slowly nodded her head. “I knew you would say that. Please know that I am truly sorry. But I am a mother, too, and I understand those parents’ fears. Do not judge us too harshly. Many of us do not actually care much about that propaganda. Some fanatics may care about this nonsense about the Xelixian look, but this is about the safety of our young. And that is not negotiable.”
“Thank you for the warning, Director Velthan. I will take this information under advisement. Have no fear, you will not be exposed,” I said in as neutral a tone as I could.
“Thank you for your understanding, Lieutenant Kamala,” the D
irector said, clearly relieved this was over. She nodded then hastened away.
Distraught, I turned around to get back to my bike only to see Xevius in a black leather suit, his long hair flowing freely on his back, standing by his hoverbike a few meters in front of mine. My heart skipped a beat, realizing he must have been here a while. Chances were he’d heard everything the director had said, maybe even witnessed the whole mess with the children.
Groaning inwardly, I walked nonchalantly towards him. As I approached, he mounted his bike, started the engine, and continued to stare at me expectantly. I stopped next to him. He remained quiet, content to raise an eyebrow, a slightly darker shade than his golden hair. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel, except how much I wish he’d just hug me right now and make all this mess go away.
But he’s not here to make it go away. He’s here to make it worse.
Without a word, I continued on to my hoverbike. As soon as I started the engine, Xevius took off at a slow speed until I followed in his wake. Only then did he accelerate, staying just a hair beneath the speed limit. We exited the residential area to ride through the sprawling suburbs of the Xelhan District, up to a somewhat isolated, inconspicuous, two-story house. No gates blocked the access to this typical Xelixian home with white walls and dark windows, but my scanner picked up multiple security systems, from cameras, motion sensors, and traps.
The garage door slid open, and Xevius parked his hover bike inside. He dismounted, then waited for me. I emulated him as he continued staring at me, his gorgeous face devoid of emotion.
“Lose the suit, Kamala,” he said in a commanding voice that should have gotten my hackles up but didn’t.
I stared at him through my visors before giving in. My fingers ran in a specific pattern over the invisible pressure plates of my armor along the side of my neck. As the nanites of my suit unraveled, I suddenly started feeling self-conscious. Until this instant, confidence in my own beauty had never been an issue. However vain this may sound, while Veredians were generally gorgeous females, the Goddess had been particularly generous with me. This was a tool and a weapon that had served me well over the years. But as much as I’d hated men focusing more on my looks than on my personality, for the first time, what a man thought of my appearance really mattered to me.