by Kayla Stonor
Her heart hammered. Nausea had her clutching for a seat.
If Oltu hadn’t blocked the K’lahn’s line of fire, Ben would be dead, and Oltu alive, possibly unscathed.
She moaned and Jsut pressed her into a chair.
“Lord Oltu’s last words are an order.”
She stared at him, beyond words.
“The First Lord orders your brother returned to Earth. You lost your brother once. I believe he does not wish you hurt a second time. That is what he said, that he cannot hurt you. Not again.”
*****
“Gabrielle?”
Gabrielle jerked awake, jumped to her feet, scanning Oltu’s half-shifted visage for any change. The fine crystalized film covering his scales and skin remained undisturbed. Heart slowing, she turned, jumping to see a Qui she recognized—K’rista the Emperor’s Consort, Oltu’s mother, a Qui who inspired trepidation in anyone who had ever attempted to reason with her.
Should she say something? “Honored Consort. Um... Zostwi ci sa?” If you want me to leave?
K’rista folded in her wings and shifted to human.
Mature but still youthful, her skin clear and smooth, the Emperor’s Consort made a striking woman—regal in look and poise with rich dark hair veering on black and lips of ruby red. The Qui studied her son, her expression impassive, but her eyes were kinder than Gabrielle remembered. She raised her gaze to Gabrielle.
“You should learn to control your emotions, Ambassador.” She spoke perfect English, and with no translator that Gabrielle could see.
“My emotions?”
“Your scent gives you away, and your heartbeat and skin tone broadcast your feelings to Qui and K’lahn alike. The flaw serves you well today. I sense in you what I see in Jaden.”
“And what is that?”
“Devotion.”
“Devotion?” The thought appalled. Gabrielle shook her head. “No, I...”
K’rista laughed; the sound sour. “You cannot deny your biology. Without control over your basic pheromones, you cannot lie to a Qui.” The cynical light in her eyes faded as she looked again at Oltu. “Do you understand my son’s condition, Gabrielle? May I call you Gabrielle?”
“Of course. Um, and yes, I think so. Gotnas has carried out emergency repairs to Oltu’s injuries and Oltu is now in hibernation.” Her voice faded. “I’m not sure what that means precisely.”
“It means I have hope. The swelling in Oltu’s brain prevented him from entering a hibernation state that accelerates healing. During surgery, Gotnas stimulated Oltu’s brain to enter hibernation in the half-shifted form you see now. When we reach Earth, Gotnas and an orthopedic specialist,” her questioning tone and pause prompted Gabrielle to nod confirmation K’rista had used the correct term, “will operate.”
“So he is healing now?”
“No, but he will the moment he exits cryostasis. Hibernation will give him a fighting chance as he recovers from the surgery.”
K’rista’s jaw tightened as she approached the far side of the cryostasis chamber and placed a hand on the glass. She regarded Gabrielle across the glass curvature. “I have vowed to honor my son’s order to return your brother to Earth. Ben Rooster’s hatred for my race consumes him. He hates the Qui even more than he hates the K’lahn and Dralexin.”
Gabrielle choked back tears. Oltu lay beneath them, silent and immobile. “Yes.”
“Your father assures the Empress that Ben will receive treatment and supervision. The Royal Court questions whether President Rooster has the authority to enforce this.”
“Not under any governing law when Ben was captured, but Ben committed a crime on a Qui warship. Our treaty with the Qui stipulates that humans submit to Qui jurisdiction within the Qui Empire. My father will comply with the terms set by the Qui Empress.” Her shoulders bowed under the weight of her love for the brother she once thought lost. “Though I should have seen something like this coming, I can’t believe he did it. I should have been more careful.” Her voice cracked.
“Enslavement can twist a mind, given enough pressure. Ben has survived a life anyone would find abhorrent. The need for vengeance takes over, consumes rational thought.” K’rista’s voice sounded distant and Gabrielle sensed she spoke of something else. The Qui’s eyes refocused, a dark storm passing to gray sky. “I ordered your brother’s execution when I heard what he had done.”
Gabrielle paled; K’rista’s admission chillingly casual.
“Three factors weighed in your brother’s favor. Commander Jsut’s allegiance to the First Lord proved stronger than his adherence to my orders—he will not entrust Ben Rooster to my charge. My daughter Sonestra insists I respect Oltu’s final order. Lastly, I am not prepared to invade my son’s warship to satisfy my wrath. I must respect my son’s sacrifice and control my desire for vengeance. And I wished to visit with my son. Your brother is safe.”
The relief left Gabrielle’s knees weak. “And Colonel Tennant?” She held her breath.
“Colonel Tennant abused my son’s trust.”
A statement Gabrielle could not argue.
Cale had secreted a semi-automatic handgun in his luggage and handed in UR assault rifles based on the K’lahn energy design, weapons detected by an energy scan. Ben had found the pistol, and then demanded weapons training to get his eye back.
“Colonel Tennant just wanted to protect me—as was his official assignment on this mission. He never intended this, never would have sanctioned my brother’s actions.”
“From whom did you need protecting? Oltu rescued you from hostile elements in the Fringes. The Empress guaranteed your safety…”
The conversation took a subtle turn Gabrielle didn’t like. Krista’s tone possessed an intensity that frightened her. Oltu’s mother had made her decision on Ben... but not regarding Colonel Tennant. Cale was subject to Qui jurisdiction and Oltu had issued no order protecting Cale.
Shit. Did K’rista direct her thirst for vengeance elsewhere?
“Oltu manipulated my difficulties in the Fringes to his advantage. There were times he terrified me and he didn’t engender trust with Colonel Tennant. Oltu made threats, overpowered the colonel when my father ordered Tennant to return me home, and then chained him to a post overnight out of spite.” K’rista raised her eyebrows but Gabrielle forged onward. “Colonel Tennant had good reason to feel cautious regarding my safety, but he never raised that weapon against anyone. And he had little control over my brother.”
“Oltu saved his life.”
“Yes.”
“Even though he considered the Colonel to be a rival?”
Gabrielle’s lips parted. She couldn’t hide her surprise. “You know this?”
“Did he have good reason?”
Suddenly, K’rista’s focus was on her.
Gabrielle stiffened. “With respect, ma’am, that’s not your business.”
K’rista’s mouth pouted, a slight tightening of her lips, her eyes examining Gabrielle as if she could ferret out all her secrets if she waited long enough. A crafty expression stole across her face. She rapped the cryo-chamber with sharp nails painted black, except they couldn’t be painted, because Gabrielle had seen her shift.
“Colonel Tennant has been transferred to my ship.”
“No.” Gabrielle stepped back, horrified. “He tried to save Oltu. He tried to stop Ben. Colonel Tennent is not at fault!”
“It is decided. I accept your defense, but justice needs to be seen and, as you point out, Colonel Tennant is subject to Qui jurisdiction. My son needs you, he has a battle ahead, and he will recover more quickly with you at your side. Do not worry. Colonel Tennant acted to save my son’s life and I take that into consideration. Whatever punishment I deem necessary, trust that the Colonel will return to Earth unharmed, alongside the human refugees from Dralexi. You have my word, especially now.”
“Now?”
“Now I have met you. Your mind is open. Your distress for my son overwhelms you. Are you eating?”
> The sight of food made her nauseous. “Enough.”
“Not enough.”
“I drink lots of water.”
K’rista frowned. “And when did you last sleep?”
Gabrielle thought hard, looked at her chair. “Just now?”
The Qui Consort approached a console and entered a sequence of commands. “I wish to spend time with my son, Gabrielle, but I will walk you back to your quarters first.”
It physically hurt to leave that room, to leave Oltu. Tears welled in Gabrielle’s eyes. Confusion, stark fear, exhaustion churned around inside her. She felt lightheaded, faint, and suddenly K’rista walked beside her, her arm inside Gabrielle’s elbow, a subtle support that didn’t instill the usual panic. Of course, K’rista was female, but she was also Qui.
A winged lizard.
And a fierce negotiator.
Which reminded her. “Oltu said you are visiting Earth to see Crendea.”
“Yes. Dralexi was an unexpected diversion.”
“Where do you think Crendea’s child should be raised?”
K’rista glanced at her with genuine surprise. “With its mother. Qui offspring always remain with the mother. I intend to discuss an arrangement with President Rooster. This birthing creates new opportunities between Qui and human relations that must be explored. I cannot contribute much to the Surashan war, but I can keep the child safe.”
“Safe from what? You mean the baby’s shapeshifting?”
“We have helped Crendea reduce fetal shifting, but we must find new means once the child arrives. Immature shifts can be very dangerous. A human baby cannot walk until it reaches one solar year, but a Qui child can walk in half the time, and a bird can fly its nest in a matter of weeks. Imagine if the child touched an animal, sampled its genetic code, and shifted without training or supervision...”
Like the time Sonestra joined a pod of dolphins unprompted, a powerful Qui Empress sucked in by the thrill of the moment. Maybe Crendea did need an experienced Qui for guidance and training. Imagining Qui babies and the complexities of shapeshifting stirred a sense of panic. How could she consider a child like that?
“Have you discussed raising a child with Oltu?” K’rista asked as though she’d been reading Gabrielle’s mind.
Gabrielle blushed, shocked. “No. We aren’t... I mean, we’re not together. Is a child really possible?”
“Crendea’s child indicates genetic compatibility between humans and Qui, and you clearly have feelings for my son. You sit by his bedside unable to eat.”
“Before... what happened, with my brother and Oltu... we argued. I know Oltu cares for me, but there are huge issues, I can’t—” The whole situation tortured her, her feelings beyond her control.
“What issues?”
“The things he’s done.” Shit. Why was she talking this way? Opening up to Oltu’s mother of all people? The woman’s reputation following her involvement in negotiations with the United Regions made Oltu look saintly by comparison.
“What things?”
K’rista’s pretense of ignorance incited Gabrielle’s fury. “Oh like sending my brother to a slave mine, raping and torturing Jaden, threatening to destroy Earth, heck, just being a Qui.” She clapped her hands to her mouth. “That was...”
“Rude?” K’rista removed her fingers from her forearm. “A chemically induced response, I forgive you.”
Gabrielle flinched. “You drugged me?”
“A mild relaxant to help you eat and sleep.”
“You should have asked!”
“I’m a Qui, why change your opinion on that?”
Ouch. Well K’rista overstepped the bounds. Gabrielle could too. “So can you justify what the Qui has done to our world? Can you justify what Oltu did to my brother? To all the humans enslaved and sold like work animals across your empire?”
“Yes. Over the ages of our Empire, Qui have enforced peace across many worlds once in conflict, and when the Qui Empire wages war there is no mercy, a proven deterrent against rebellion. What appears harsh and barbaric is a far better alternative to war with the Qui. Countless lives have been saved, civilizations nurtured, interstellar commerce flourishes. You no longer inhabit a tiny planet, isolated from the Empire. You must expand your mind and your understanding of the galaxy… and your place within it.”
Gabrielle stopped dead. Her voice rose. “That’s your justification?”
“Ah, justification... Justification can spread and corrupt faster than the most virulent disease. What starts as the cauterization of a bleeding wound becomes uncontrolled mutilation on a galactic scale. Justification becomes habitual—mutates into one person asserting their innate superiority over another—and then one day, civilization looks in a mirror and confronts a reflection it doesn’t wish to recognize. For the Qui, for my daughter the Empress, Earth is our mirror. Old thinking always gives way to new, Gabrielle, but change takes time.”
“So, you’re saying Oltu can change. The Qui, on the whole are changing? Because of Earth’s influence…”
“Oltu is disciplined in the Qui culture decreed by his father, the Emperor, steeped in endless tradition. He has lived as he was trained. In his mind, his actions are well-justified, necessary, his entitled right. Necessary in every way. Three days ago, Oltu informed me of his plans to return his tributes to their home worlds. Then he risks his life protecting your brother intent on murdering him. Gabrielle, you are Oltu’s mirror. Love or leave him, his perspective has irrevocably changed, and I must accept the inevitable—evolution cannot be stopped, despite my best effort.”
They arrived at Gabrielle’s room and for the first time Gabrielle noticed K’rista’s lizard eyes weren’t angry red at all, more a deep russet autumn. The Emperor’s Consort smiled. “You will find supper waiting for you. Eat, Gabrielle, rest. I will sit with Oltu until your return.”
Gabrielle slipped into her room the minute K’rista turned. She leaned against the closed door and shut her eyes in relief, welcoming the darkness, a moment of peace.
Everything changed. Nothing fit properly anymore. Her world, her perception of humanity’s place in the intricate spinning wheel of an intergalactic empire, upended. She’d never be the same again. What to do?
First impressions should not be trusted.
She could hear Oltu speak the words in her head, and he spoke true—first impressions could not be trusted. Nor could they be put aside.
Gabrielle walked over to the bed and opened her packed trunk sitting atop the coverlet. Rifling through her folded clothes she skimmed past the scytah whip and pulled out a piece of cloth. She stared at the incomprehensible words scrawled across the material.
What had Saiorse wanted her to know?
Chapter Fourteen
All Qui experimented with hibernation, some more adept than others. Sentient awareness apart from the physical body was a sensation Oltu recognized. The mind hovered, anchored in a moment of existence. His senses opened on a timeframe unstated, unimportant, and as his mind expanded, awareness moved to the next level, searched for knowledge of his condition.
His body had suffered extensive trauma.
Swelling in his brain.
Shattered bone, held together by an engineered bone structure.
Fingers stroked his hand, a scent he loved. A calming presence.
His mind drifted down a level. Awareness ceased.
*****
“Oltu? Can you hear me? I have to go now. I’ll be back soon.”
Gabrielle gripped his hand, to let him know she was there. She wanted to say more, but the words stuck in her throat. She couldn’t name the feelings she felt for Oltu. They’d never moved past the sexual tension and endless torture of forbidden desires. They saw each other from two sides of an enormous chasm, and admitting her love for him felt like turning to the dark side.
Too many good memories clogged with anger and disgust and real hate.
Did she really love the enemy? An alien who had ripped her family apart?
If not, why did she sit beside him?
Why did the thought of losing him cut her to shreds?
Her fingers wandered from his human skin to reptilian scales. She enjoyed their smooth feel, like polished armor, glittering in the soft light of the infirmary. Strange he recovered at Central Command, but his human body had suffered the worst injury, and in human medicine, Earth had the expertise.
His Qui body no longer filled her with terror. He’d never hurt her. He’d switched off the aggressive overlord act that first night. The change hadn’t been an act, he’d genuinely cared about her past, angry she’d been hurt, damaged. He’d resolved never to incite those feelings of terror again. He’d backed off, testing her response to a simple overture, giving her control.
One tick in the column for loving him.
Didn’t change the Qui inside—the arrogant warlord who believed the galaxy owed him and his kind whatever they desired. Entitled reptilian bastard.
He had given Saiorse her freedom.
Risked his life for her brother. Not from any fondness for Ben, though—purely for her, his bid for redemption.
Another tick in the column.
She sighed; weary of a debate she’d rehearsed too many times. She leaned close to his ear and murmured, “I have to go, I’ll be back.”
She didn’t want to leave. K’rista believed her presence would help Oltu. She must have known something of her son’s feelings for the doctors said Oltu’s scans showed accelerated healing whenever Gabrielle sat with him, a response Oltu couldn’t fake in his condition. He needed her. She brought him peace and comfort, motivated him to fight for his recovery.
Yet, he’d been prepared to let her go, had been forcing her departure from the Thrak ‘Yla.
“Gaby?”
She looked up and smiled at Colonel Saracen, Central Command’s commanding officer.