by Luna Hunter
I’m sure it’ll feel good though. Really good.
“Did you not use this strictly forbidden weapon?”
Father throws the strange tool onto the floor, and the crowd whispers.
“Yes,” Lilith says, “but only to heal, to sav—”
“So you admit!” the admiral booms. “The filthy human admits! Even here, even lightyears from Earth, do the humans continue to follow us! To hound us! They will not let us be, not let us grow, not let us prosper! They will not rest until we are their lapdogs, their pitbulls, our fates chained to theirs! No more, I say, no more! No longer will we bend to their will, no longer will we put human lives before the Zorans!”
The crowd cheers and it sickens me.
How do they not see the wool being pulled over their eyes?
Yano explained what happened. How Lilith has saved his life. I feel immensely grateful for that… but I wish it wouldn’t have come at the price of her life. I wish she had stayed patient, had let us find a way, had let Yano or me enter the desolate ship instead.
Then again, it was me who rudely refused to do so when Lilith asked. It was my stern demeanor, my unwillingness to yield, to listen to my mate, which pushed her to risk her life.
For my sins, we will pay the ultimate price.
“I object.”
My strong voice carries far, and the crowd falls silent. Yano tugs at my arm, frantically.
“What are you doing?!” he whispers.
I shrug him off, clear my throat and repeat myself.
“I object.”
“You… object?” the admiral says. “You misunderstand this trial, young one. You cannot object to justice!”
“This is a mockery.”
The crowd around me parts as if I’m on fire. I step forward, walking towards my mate. She looks up at me and shakes her head, her eyes pleading for me not to throw my life away as well… but I have no other choice.
A life without my mate is not one I want to live.
“She used her tool to save my brother’s life. We ought to thank her, not punish her!”
“Let me handle this, with your permission, admiral,” my father says.
Admiral Bast nods, and my father takes his place.
General Goran.
Dressed in his full armor, his chest decorated with medals.
A hatred stronger than any I’ve ever felt fills my entire being, but I remain calm. As calm as possible, at least. I need to win the minds and hearts of my fellow Zorans, and I can’t do that by snarling like a beast.
Father clears his throat.
“If Yano truly was sick, then he ought to have died. To keep the weak alive is unnatural. That is the way of the jungle. That is the way of the Zorans.”
The crowd is silent, watching with bated breath. My eyes are narrowed, my fists balled.
“If the human is even telling the truth,” father continues. “They are deceitful. They are liars. They are manipulators. They have manipulated us into leaving Exon, in getting our homeworld destroyed by the Tyk’ix. They have manipulated us into becoming their dogs, their pets, wielding our strength as theirs. No longer. Finally, we are free from their chains… and you wish to return to that?”
“What about King Vinz?” I growl. “The warrior-king who freed us from Emperor Qleiord? The one who cursed us all, the reason why there are so few Zoran women, even now, generations later? Does Vinz’s name mean nothing anymore? He mated with a human. He saw our futures were entwined.”
“Even the wisest make mistakes,” father growls. “His deeds were great, yes, but being pampered by the humans has made him weak and malleable! That is why we took our fleet and left, to escape the damning influence he and his generals were having on our species as a whole!”
Father points at Lilith, the veins in his neck bulging.
“If you choose her side, then you are an enemy of the people! Beg for forgiveness and you might live, or you will share her fate!”
“Please,” Lilith croaks. Her eyes are red and puffy, tears streaming down her face. “Don’t die for me.”
I’m too stubborn to listen to her.
“She is my mate,” I say loudly.
The crowd gasps.
Father shakes his head.
“Lilith is my mate,” I repeat. “Her fate is mine. King Vinz was right. You are wrong. History will prove that.”
Admiral Bast steps forward, resting his hand on my father’s shoulder.
“I am sorry for your loss, general. You are the most loyal man I know. To hear your own son reject our teachings… my heart goes out to you.”
Father shakes his head.
“Daruk is no son of mine.”
Even after everything, those words still hurt.
“Take them away.”
Warriors step forward from every side. Before I can grab my dagger, before I can fight and die valiantly, my arms are grabbed and twisted behind my back.
“You idiots,” I growl. “Don’t you see you are being lied to?!”
“Shut up, traitor,” one of them growls. A knee is planted in my back, forcing me to my knees.
A blow to my head turns all the lights off.
Chapter Eleven
Lilith
I hold my mate as tightly as I can.
We’re locked in a dark cave, with only a faint light trickling in. Those brutes knocked Daruk out right in front of me. For a moment, I thought they killed him… but luckily, he’s still breathing.
I’m still breathing.
For now.
I have no idea what kind of punishment is in store for the both of us. Whatever it is, it won’t be pleasant. I’ve never met anyone more unpleasant than Admiral Bast or General Goran.
No matter what they do, they won’t be able to break our bond.
The love I feel for Daruk will last forever. It will last for eternity. I love him in this world, and in the next. I have no idea what happens after we die, but I know that our souls are connected.
Our bond will carry over.
Our bond is unbreakable.
“Hey,” Daruk groans as he opens his eyes slowly.
“Shhh,” I say, kissing his forehead. “You took quite a blow.”
“We’re… alive?”
“We are,” I say. “We’re locked in some dark cave.”
He tries to sit up, but I stop him. His head is resting in my lap, and my fingers trace circles on his skin.
“Be careful.”
“Ugh,” he says. “I feel like I was hit by a spaceship.”
He reaches up and touches the back of my neck. I lean in and kiss him, deeply. Our lips meet, and I close my eyes, surrendering myself to his love for a moment. No matter how bad things get, a kiss from Daruk will always transport me to a different dimension, one where there is no pain. When our lips meet, I am in heaven.
When he pulls back, I am filled with regret.
“Why are you so stubborn?” I ask. “Why did you have to risk your life for me?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he answers. “You risked your life for Yano’s.”
“I did, didn’t I? Look at us. A bunch of stubborn fools.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The door to our prison cell opens. Daruk sits up instantly, his fists raised, while my heart rate skyrockets. Is this the end? Is this where I lose my mate? My life?
Yano’s familiar face peeks around the corner.
“There you are!” he whispers.
“B-brother?” Daruk stammers. “Are you being locked up as well?”
“No, idiot, I’m busting you two out,” he whispers. “Hurry up!”
Daruk
Within the blink of an eye I’m on my feet and out the door, with a tight hold on my mate’s wrist. I’m never letting her go.
“Where are we?” I ask, as I look at our surroundings. The tunnel we’re in splits off in multiple directions. I don’t recognize this cave system.
“Below the Elder’s cave,�
�� Yano answers. “They are somewhere upstairs, deliberating.”
“Can we go out the way you came?”
Yano shakes his head. “Negative. I snuck in right when the guards changed shifts. I can talk my way out, say I went to see father, but there’s no way you two are getting out that way.”
“So what now?” Lilith asks. “We’re screwed?”
“Not necessarily,” I growl. “Who knows where these caves lead? They might lead us to freedom.”
“Or they might not lead absolutely nowhere,” Lilith says.
“Better than awaiting death in a cell.”
“Agreed,” my mate says. “Agreed.”
I pull my brother in for a close hug. “Thank you, Yano. For everything.”
“Thank you, too. The both of you. Best of luck.”
Lilith hugs my brother as well. “Here, I want you to take this,” she says, slipping the com from her wrist. “It’s not much, but I want to give you something as a thank you. Something to remember us by. I don’t know when, or if, we’ll ever return…”
My mate’s voice trails off. We all know this is goodbye, but it’s hard to face the reality of that.
Yano bows, accepting my mate’s gift.
“Thank you. I will cherish it.”
He runs off, and we enter the cave system, heading into darkness. We are far from safe… but things are looking up. The universe is being kind to us. We might just make it out of here.
Lilith
The tunnels are long and dark. Daruk grabbed a torch from outside our cell, and the flame, growing smaller by the minute, is the only source of light we have.
Every sound, every pebble I accidentally kick makes me jump. It feels like we’re going in circles, for every cave wall looks exactly the same to me. Daruk, however, assures me we aren’t. He holds my hand tightly, our fingers intertwined. He’s never letting go of me.
We turn a corner, and Daruk freezes on the spot.
“By Zora,” he gasps. “Those bastards. Those fucking bastards.”
The tunnel opens up into a massive cavern. In the middle of this underground dome stands a massive palace, intricately decorated. It so defies my expectation that I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it.
“Wh-what,” I stammer. “How?!”
Daruk runs up to the palace, and I have to sprint to keep up with him. A cool breeze greets us, and the doors to the palace slide open when we approach.
“Welcome master,” an automated voice says.
Inside it’s a pure, technological Walhalla, eclipsing even the HF Destiny.
A drone flies up to us with a tray of drinks. On the far end of the opulent room is a buffet of meat and fish, the smell of which makes my stomach grumble. For every whim, every desire one may have, there is a drone or a robot or a device here to take care of your needs.
“Those fucking bastards,” Daruk repeats. “They forbid all technology, and what have the Elders built for themselves here? A fucking pleasure dome. This is decadent. This… is sickening.”
“You sound tense, master,” the drone says. “Would you like to visit the breeding room?”
“The b-b-breeding room?” I stammer.
“Visits to the breeding room have known to decrease stress levels by 87%,” the machine pipes up, oblivious to our shock.
“Show us the way,” Daruk says coldly.
The drone flies through the air, towards the basement of the palace. We follow, cautiously, down the stairs. What we find there defies my worst expectations.
It’s some kind of torture-basement. Everything is made from cool metal. There are long tables, with stirrups attached to them. My blood runs cold when I realize what they are for.
The drone did call this the breeding room…
“My god,” I gasp, clinging onto my mate.
“So I guess this what I had to mine all that ore,” Daruk says. “Unbelievable.”
I peek around the corner to see a long line of cells. To my shock and surprise, there are human females — shipmates from the HF Destiny — inside of the cells, all sleeping or unconscious.
I pinch my mate, nodding towards them. His expression goes from shocked to furious.
“We need to free them!” I say.
“You are right,” he growls. “Do you see a key?”
I look around for a lock or a switch, but there is no visible way to open the doors.
“Drone, open these cells,” Daruk barks at the drone.
“I do not have the authority to do so,” the machine answers.
“Damn it. Who does?”
“The control room on the second-floor controls all of the cells. But don’t you know that already, master.”
Daruk rolls his eyes. “Right. Of course I do. But show me the way, regardless.”
The machine leads us up two flights of stairs. On the second floor, there is more decadent entertainment. Just from a quick glance I see a holodeck, and several Virtual Reality-chairs, called pleasure seats back on Earth. You can strap in and experience any sordid fantasy. The only limit is your imagination. They’re tightly regulated on Earth — you can’t harm anyone in the simulation — but I shudder at the thought of what the Elders use them for.
I don’t think they have the same restrictions as the pleasure seats back on Earth.
We reach the control room. It’s a circular room, filled with screens, buttons, levers and flashing lights. Even the bridge of the HF Destiny looked less complicated than this.
On the many screens, I see footage from both the outside and inside of the palace. There must be cameras everywhere! My heart does a little leap of joy when I see where the captured human men are. They’re hewing out rock with pickaxes, their bodies covered in dirt. This must be a deeper tunnel, somewhere below the palace. I recognize Captain Shepherd, even with the grime on his face. He’s alive!
Several robots carrying rifles are standing guard, forcing the men to work. If I can deactivate the bots, then I can free the men as well!
“Look,” Daruk growls, pointing at one of the screen. “We have company.”
My blood runs cold when I see a contingent of men — Zoran and a different kind of alien I don’t recognize — arrive at the front door of the palace. We both freeze in place. I don’t even dare to breathe.
“That’s Admiral Bast,” Daruk whispers. “But who is that with him?”
The admiral is accompanied by a lanky alien, wearing a bright golden armor. His skin is so pale its nearly translucent, his hair white and long.
“Czar Baros! Welcome to my humble abode. A pleasure to have you here, always,” the admiral says. His voice reaches us in the control room through the speakers.
“I don’t understand why we have to come down here, to this dark hole. This palace ought to be built on top of a mountain! It should dominate the landscape! That’s how I’d do it!”
“Different strokes, Czar. Our people are not ready for that. Not yet.”
“Bah. What do I care. As long as you have the goods.”
“Oh, we do. We most certainly do. Just wait till you see the facility we’ve built below.”
I squeeze my mate’s arm. “Who is that?” I mouth.
“No idea,” he answers.
His blue eyes sparkle mischievously. We could slip away into darkness, leave the captured humans to their horrible fates… but that’s not who we are. Both of us are ready to risk everything. We’ve risked our lives before, and we’ll do so again.
Neither of us can rest until all these humans, all of my friends, are freed.
We’re going to face Bast and Baros one way or another. All we need to do is figure out a plan that’ll give us an edge, a chance of emerging victorious.
Admiral Bast sits down in one of the lounge chairs, a drink in hand. Perfectly relaxed — with a basement full of slaves. Just looking at his smug face fills me with rage.
“I am very pleased with your progress, admiral,” the czar says. “To be perfectly blunt, I thought all Zorans we
re slaves to that human filth. Blinded by those babymakers. I’ve been thwarted before by your kind,” he says, his voice filled with hatred and venom. “I have been ridiculed, defeated, made a mockery of. Well, who’s laughing now?”
“I am different from most of my kind, your imperial majesty,” Admiral Bast answers. “You are right about that. I know where a human female belongs. On her knees. Or on her back. Whichever way you want her, really.”
The two men laugh. I’m so angry my skin feels like it’s burning. I’ll give them something to laugh about…
“I have brought you a gift,” Czar Baros says. “A token of our friendship. You see, when you first reached out to me, and said you wanted my help in defeating the humans, I figured this was another ploy of King Vinz and his merry band of generals. To say I was skeptical is an understatement. You know what they did to me on Mika? One lowly human, with the help of her Zoran mate, poisoned me with some alien love potion. I had them in my grasp… and they escaped from right under my nose. Ruined my relationship with the Kua at the same time. They’re pathetic… but you, admiral. You are a man of strength. I respect what you’ve accomplished in such a short time. The Zoran Empire will be born again, with you as the new emperor.”
“You flatter me, your imperial majesty,” Bast answers.
“To seal our friendship, I have brought you a gift. My nemesis, for you to enjoy. Bring her in!”
Four tall, pale alien soldiers march into the room, carrying a large metal box. There are chains all over the thing, more than seem necessary to me.
“What’s that?” the admiral says, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“Don’t worry,” the Czar laughs. “This bitch has a tendency to escape. I wanted to make very sure she’s not getting away this time. Open the chest, boys.”
The soldiers go to work, removing the many, many chains and locks on the metal box. The czar rises from his seat and grabs the lid of the box. I grab Daruk’s arm, holding him tightly. I can only imagine what kind of horrible monster he’s keeping that box…