Chapter Fourteen
The three of us slept in one room. The sky looked strange during the day, but at night, it was the same inky blackness that I saw on Earth. The constellations were different, and the stars seemed brighter, but it was easy to forget that I was on a distant planet, looking up at an alien night sky.
Rakesh slept in his dragon form, with me tucked along his soft underbelly. Nedan reclined casually by the entrance, his boots still on and his blade at the ready. The small home that we now occupied was sparsely furnished and made optimal use of space. It was exactly what you would expect on a military base.
“You need to sleep, Sava,” Nedan said.
“You’re awake?”
“So are you.”
I shifted my weight so that I could see him more clearly. I could barely make out his shadow in the moonlight.
“What do you think they plan to do to us?” I whispered.
“If it were me, I would separate you from the Commander. He has a hard time controlling himself without you. They already saw that. Now they need to know if they can get him to do what they want.”
“Or get me to work with them.”
Nedan scoffed.
“They already know they can’t get you on their side. Nobody talks to the Council members the way you did. Nobody. If you’d been Troiken they’d have killed you for even thinking about it,” he smiled, the light glinting off his too sharp, too white teeth.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“I admit, I like to see highborns humbled every now and again.”
“I heard that you’re a half-breed. What other species can breed with Troikens?”
“Are you are thinking of breeding with the Commander?”
“Not really.”
“Good. Don’t.”
“You still didn’t answer my question.”
“There is a race of people called the Trill, much like you humans, only not as frail. The Troitek invaded, and most of the Trill scattered to the four corners of the galaxy. But those who stayed in the Empire ended up living difficult lives. Nobody talks about it much, but you shouldn’t believe the story about Troiteks being asexual and logical. It's bullshit. Even when you suppress it, nature finds a way. Like you and the Commander.”
“Your mother and father fell in love?”
“Love? There is no such thing here. My father was drunk with power and bathed in the blood of his enemies. My mother just happened to be a casualty of his high spirits.”
“Oh.”
“Do not feel sorry for me and do not pity her, Sava. She was a good and strong female. And I am proud of my Trill heritage.”
“That’s good,” I said, trying to sound optimistic despite the knot in my stomach.
“But you don’t have to worry. I don’t have any great ambitions. I’m not trying to bring down the Empire or anything,” he assured me.
“I didn’t think you were. I was just wondering,” I said. “Nedan?”
“I am here, Sava.”
“What are people saying about us? What rumors?”
He inhaled deeply but didn’t answer my question. I waited in the darkness, dying to know, but afraid of the truth that so many wanted to keep from me. After awhile I began to wonder if maybe he hadn’t fallen asleep while talking to me.
“It is an old legend, about Thorni Mai, the goddess of the Troitek.”
“The dragon goddess?”
“Yes, only, she wasn’t the dragon. And, she wasn’t from this planet.”
I sat up straight, not wanting to miss a single word.
“The legend is that she was kidnapped from a distant star by a red dragon named Troyek, who’d fallen in love with her. Some say she was a star, and he became a dragon just to be able to reach her. Regardless of what you believe, this much is true, he wanted her and did whatever was necessary to have her.”
“Sounds familiar,” I said, stroking Rakesh’s slumbering form.
“Over time, some way, he managed to convince her to return his affections. She taught him how to take a form similar to her own so that they could mate. They gave birth to many children over many centuries, and they ruled a just society. But one day he became angry and lashed out, burning her alive and scattering her ashes to the wind. After that, he couldn’t regain his dragon form out of shame and guilt. He couldn’t govern. Even his children lost the ability to shift forms due to their grief. In the end, he gave up his body and became a constellation.”
“The star became the dragon, and the dragon became the star,” I said.
“That’s the story.”
“What does that have to do with us?”
“The Red Dragon has once again found a female from a distant star. It’s the beginning of a new age. A better age. That is if you believe in that kind of thing,” he said.
Nedan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his head back against the wall.
“Do you believe in that kind of thing?”
“Get some sleep, Sava. We meet the Crown in a few risings,” he mumbled.
Rakesh used his great tail to push my body back against his body. His breathing hadn’t changed the whole time, but it was clear he’d been listening. Was this the myth that he didn’t want me to hear?
“Is that what you were afraid of? Burning me alive by accident?” I whispered into his ear. He snorted softly. I turned over and pressed my face into the tuft of wild red hair that sprouted from his head and easily fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes again, Rakesh had regained his humanoid form and was carrying me into the adjoining room, where a hot bath was waiting for me.
“P’tah will be here soon,” he said, putting me down. His face was grim, and his expression was flat.
“Is there a problem?”
“She said there are things she wants to discuss with you alone. Be quick. We are due to meet the Crown in a few risings,” he said.
I bathed, this time in actual water. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the feel of water against my skin until I stepped into the large basin used as a tub. I washed quickly, rinsing my hair and braiding the golden strands quickly as I dressed.
The gown that Rakesh and I ordered while back on the station was more spectacular than I expected. Yehua did away with the red ensemble and gone with a different design entirely. It was a startling blue with green embroidery across the back and along the sleeves. The simple gold buttons held the mandarin collar closed and stopped just above my bustline.
“Is this the Kearney coat of arms?” I asked, running my hands along the vivid green thread.
“I had it modified to represent all of Earth,” Rakesh said softly.
“Why?” Tears choked me as I stroked the gown. I’d never seen material like this one. It was light and fine, yet opaque.
“You are the Earth’s attachment. You represent Earth.”
“It almost looks like a star,” I said, slipping the gown over my head and letting it fall to the floor.
“Earth is the womb of your solar system’s greatest star.”
I smoothed my hands down the front of my dress and looked at myself in the mirror. The cut was simple and elegant. It flattered my waist and flared slightly around my hips. I lifted my arms above my head and made wide circles.
“The arms don’t tug,” I noted.
“Neither do mine,” Nedan agreed, stepping into the room wearing a sleeveless vest secured by a broad sash tied around his waist. He’d wrestled his orange curls into a neat ponytail that displayed his not quite Troitek features prominently.
“You clean up nice,” I said, noting how, despite the obvious craftsmanship, he still managed to look casual.
“You flatter me, Sava.” Nedan walked over to me and sniffed the gown.
“Theryll. Good choice,” he said to Rakesh.
“What is theryll?”
“It’s used in armor plating and it’s heat resistant. It won’t stop a laser burn, but it should make you harder to kill with conventional weap
ons,” said Nedan.
Before I could reply, P’tah burst into the dwelling, breathing hard and holding a tablet against her chest as if it were a precious item.
“Oh, Diem Sava. We need to talk,” she said, capturing my wrist and pulling me.
“Say it here, P’tah. We are all allies here.” Her flushed face and wild eyes made me very uncomfortable.
“I told you, your nanites are learning. They are adapting to you.”
“Yes,” I nodded. “So?”
“So, they aren’t just adapting. They are sending messages?”
“What?”
“I thought it was just a glitch. When I first saw it I thought they were malfunctioning. But it turns out that this is a message,” she said, sliding the tablet across to me. I saw, what looked to me, like tiny electric charges passing between cells.
“Is this what’s going on inside me right now?”
“No, this is from a blood sample.”
“Okay, well then what are they saying?”
“It took me some time, but I figured out that they were using the same programming language that I used to upgrade them. And they have replied with one word. “
“Which is?” Rakesh asked impatiently.
“More.”
“More? More what?” Nedan insisted.
“Exactly? More what? I gave them options, and they came back with a word that was not on the list.”
“Are you going to make us ask you what they said every time?” Nedan complained.
“Mother.”
“They want more mothers?” Nedan looked confused.
“Okay, wait,” I said. “Do they pose any threat to me now?”
“No! Their reason for existing is to keep you alive. So far, I haven’t gotten any indication that they’ve deviated from that objective.”
“Okay, so what’s the problem?” Rakesh growled.
“They aren’t supposed to be acting on their own, Rakesh! They’re tiny robots. They are supposed to do what they’re programmed to do and respond to a predictive set of circumstances with a predetermined script. They aren’t supposed to send messages or make modifications that aren’t predetermined.”
“So, they’re sentient?” I asked, feeling strangely excited by the idea.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if this is fancy programming or self-awareness. What I do know is that if they wanted to stop your heart right now, I’m not sure that I’d be able to stop them.”
We all looked at each other. Rakesh stood perfectly still, taking deep, controlled breaths as he processed what he just heard. I could see his muscles tensing, shifting under his skin despite his best efforts. Nedan, on the other hand, looked serene. He had faith, and right now that was what we all needed.
I took a deep breath. If this was going to be my last day, I should face it calmly.
“Well, then help them find a way to contact me. It’s a symbiotic relationship. They need me, and I need them. It would be nice if we could say hello occasionally.”
I grabbed Rakesh’s hand and made him look me in the eyes. “This isn’t a big deal,” I said softly. He nodded, taking a deep cleansing breath.
“You don’t understand –” P’tah waved her hands as she spoke.
“I understand that bacteria live in my bowels and tiny bugs live in my eyelashes. I understand that my body is designed to depend on tiny invaders to keep it healthy. The nanites are no different. Let’s use them to our advantage. Teach them to use my implants to communicate.”
She looked at me as if I were crazy and then all the fear and panic drained from her face. A new, devious expression turned the corners of her lips upwards.
“She’s got that mad scientist look on her face again. We’re all done for,” said Rakesh.
We all laughed to ease the tension in the room.
“Where’s Meck and Detack?” P’tah asked.
“They were escorted home, yesterday.”
“Aren’t they going with you?” P’tah looked alarmed.
“Not this time. We just barely managed to convince them to let Nedan come with me,” I said, rolling my eyes.
P’tah nodded and sat down heavily. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in many cycles. I walked over and put my hand on her shoulder.
“Thank you, P’tah. I don’t think I say that enough. Thank you for everything. I know if anybody can figure this out, it’s you.”
She smiled shyly, her tail flicking in the air behind her.
Outside the window, we watched as two large vehicles pulled up. They were even more grand and spectacular than the Council’s official vehicles. There were no flags on these; they were a shiny metallic red with a mirror finish. The attendants who stepped out of them were no less impressive, wearing smart red and black uniforms and large, ornate blades at their sides. They looked mirthless and kept their eyes downcast.
My stomach flipped as they approached the door. Like all Troitek they were large and heavily muscled. Short, tightly braided hair emphasized their flattened noses and cat-like eyes. Unlike most of the males I’d seen, they wore their nails long and filed to a point. The slightly elongated incisors were exaggerated by elongated caps, making them look more like sabretooth tigers than lions. They moved silently despite their bulk and moved as they were two bodies sharing one mind.
Rakesh opened the door and gave a courteous bow, which they returned. Rakesh looked at Nedan and I and walked out to the vehicle. I hesitated, a deep sense of foreboding halting my steps. Nedan came behind me, his sudden proximity startling me.
“Don’t worry, Sava. I am here.”
I nodded, though I doubted his effectiveness against those odds.
“Here goes nothing,” I said, lifting the hem of my dress more out of habit than necessity. I followed Rakesh into the transport and Nedan followed us in. We rode silently through the base and into the capital city, where I got my first glimpse of normal Troitek life.
The construction and design were just as you would expect it. Heavy, utilitarian buildings and bold uses of patterns, colors, and fabrics. It seemed that ornamentation was used more to indicate status than to beautify. Not everybody carried a weapon, but many of them did. I wondered to myself if they were mostly for show as well.
“Where are the children?” I looked back and forth between the two males. Neither one of them replied. More secrets. Now wasn’t the time to fight about it, but it was clearly a fight we would need to have.
“Aren’t they raised by their families?”
Their confused expression was all the answer I needed.
I decided to stop asking questions. I watched in silence as the people went about their day.
“They don’t touch,” I observed.
“What?”
“The people. They don’t touch each other. It’s like they each live in a bubble. Nobody holds hands, or hugs. They laugh and smile, but they don’t touch,” I mused.
“It is not the Troitek way to hug and stroke each other,” Nedan explained. As usual, his tone was one of cold distance and objectivity. He was neither critical, nor partial.
“Not even their children?”
“The young are, out of necessity, handled much more than the others. But most of that comes to an end as we age,” Rakesh said.
He leaned over and searched my face for a reaction. I tried to hide my feelings but couldn’t mask the pity I felt for those children. I couldn’t imagine growing up without my mother’s hugs and kisses, or my dad’s awkward pats on the back. I knew pity was the last thing any Troitek would want from me, but I couldn’t help but to mourn all the things that they never knew they lost.
Sensing my upset, Rakesh pressed his forehead against mine, inhaling my breaths, reminding me in his way that I was not alone. Nedan shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with this obvious display of affection. I gave him a nervous smile and silently berated myself for getting off track. We had bigger worries than the stark lack of children on the road.
The seat of the
Crown was on the opposite side of the city. At first I could only see the towers, large black obelisk reaching up into the sky. As we got closer the maze of walkways that connected the six towers began to come into view. I could feel Rakesh become more agitated as we drew closer to the towers. I took his hand in mine and held on tight.
A pair of black gates towered above us on our approach. Their long shadow cast the last half mile of our approach into darkness. The effect was intimidating, draining us of any hope of escaping from this place if unless it was by the leave of the gate’s owners. As we passed through the gates the sound of them slowly swinging closed made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Are they locking us in?” I looked to Nedan. For the first time since our arrival, he looked nervous as well.
“They can’t lock us in,” Rakesh reminded me, his eyes flashing red. “Did you forget? Dragons know how to fly.”
Chapter Fifteen
The throne room was as imposing as the exterior. The twin thrones sat atop twin towers, buttressed by red stair cases. The entire tower seemed to be made of a smooth, luminous stone. It looked ancient and high-tech at the same time. It was hard to tell where the light was coming from as there were no discernable light sources. But unlike the sun, the light in the room was white.
We were led into the room by our silent guard. Their oppressive silence provoked our own, until I didn’t dare to even whisper. Nedan stood so close that his arm brushed my shoulder. The vaulted ceiling made Rakesh and Nedan look almost human sized and made me feel puny. I longed for my blades.
Without warning, the doors to the throne room opened and two of the oddest looking Troitek entered, flanked by a dozen attendants, all dressed in white. The male looked like an elf, with white hair and glacial blue eyes. His fingernails were filed to a point and dipped in what appeared to be silver. He was tall and well-muscled like all the males, but not as heavily muscled as the warriors. The crown he wore looked like an inverted tiara, a collection of jewels dipping low onto his forehead in a V shape.
The female was equally ephemeral, but bald. She wore strings of beads that dangled from cuffs on her ears. I was startled by how much she resembled Puva. She was undeniably feminine in both dress and manner. She had soft skin and elegant walk, with just a hint of a smile on her lips, the way a woman does when she has a secret.
A Pet For The Commander: The Complete Series Page 19