My eyes widened as a heavy beat blared over the intercom system.
“What is that?” a woman shouted in English from a row in front of me.
“That’s an alarm,” I announced. I’d heard many of them when I’d been ‘creating’ new technology that hadn’t worked quite as I had planned. Kireg or Human, a warning never changed. I flinched when an explosion erupted outside the spacecraft. “I think we’re under attack.”
“Attack?” she shrieked, her tone shrill. “The Kireg don’t fight!”
No, they didn’t. They were known as a passive society compared to the Mian.
The man next to her, assured, “I’m sure it’s just technical difficulty. They’ll have it soon worked out—” He stopped talking when the doors to this holding area glided open. Two Kireg stood in their white spacesuits—sans helmets—holding silver weapons in their hands, guns I had only read about on my peaceful planet, Joyal. Barely heard over the alarm booming, the guy muttered quietly, “I could be wrong, too.”
I gripped my straps tighter and stared.
The two Kireg with the weapons…they had their eyes showing.
In Kiregia, the man on the right stated, “Stay where you are, Humans.”
I wasn’t going anywhere and neither were the other people firmly strapped in—with locked ties.
Was this guy joking around?
I pushed back against my seat when his eyes focused directly on me. His direct regard wasn’t one I wanted to fixate my way, his purple eye color nothing I’d ever witnessed before. They were so cold, no emotion showing whatsoever. Like a robots. Small shivers ran up and down my spine as I held still waiting for him to look away. Three Kireg ran behind the two in the doorway, past them in the walkspace, weapons also in their hands and no cloth covering their eyes.
He finally peered away from me, his voice still calm. “My name is Georan Vo-Nam. I’m the leader of the High Rebellion, and even though you are mere Humans, I’m here to make sure you don’t become part of the Dynasty. No living being deserves that fate.”
I tried not to think of anything since he had singled me out before.
But it still came.
What the hell is the Dynasty? And what the fuck is the High Rebellion?
Purple eyes flicked back in my direction, and then he peered to the man beside him. His white hair was untamed around his head, curling and a mess. His skin color was close to mine, a tanned hue. The only physical difference between him and any Human here was the distinct shape of his eyes. They reminded me of a nut I enjoyed eating—an almond—but with a dark black coloring around the edges.
“Explain the details of our mission to the addle-brained, Xri. I need to help with the hostages.”
I glared through my visor.
Ignorant Kireg.
He stopped from leaving and glanced over his shoulder. Right at me. Both his white brows lifted high on his forehead. “Unless you would prefer to have your mind ripped to shreds by the Imperial family?” He shrugged a shoulder. “Afterward, you would work non-stop in the mines for gems or be a mindless sex servant to their warped urges. Both positions have a high turnover rate due to endless fatalities.”
My eyes were frozen wide, unable to blink.
Fuck. That.
The Kireg tipped his head in my direction. “Xri, watch that one closely.”
“Yes, sir,” Xri answered swiftly, his silver eyes honing on my person.
The man sitting next to me glanced in my direction. He hissed, “Keep your thoughts to yourself.”
I nodded. I would try.
Georan Vo-Nam disappeared from sight, turning left down the walkspace where the others had run.
“I’ll explain the situation as plainly as I can.” Xri stepped over, standing in the middle of the doorway. “What the Human President failed to mention is that Egyac is currently in a transition period. We are in a civil war right now—and have been for the past twenty-one moon cycles. It is the Dynasty versus the High Rebellion.”
Oh, Mother Joyal. This wasn’t at all a good situation. The Mian on Triaz would have been far easier to handle than this.
“The Imperial family, who controls the Dynasty, continues to attempt to rule, preying on those who are weaker than them. The High Rebellion believes we should all be equal, no matter our voy-level—our influence. The Kireg people are torn and firmly divided in their thoughts between the North and the South.”
Xri smiled so sweetly.
I grimaced, not peering at his mouth.
There was a predator hidden behind his silver eyes.
He announced with a pump of his gun in the air. “But the High Rebellion has recently taken over two new provinces in the North. We are much closer to our end goal thanks to our leader.”
But at the cost of how many lives?
I had read about Earth’s history. Many had died during civil wars in varying countries.
Was there no way to compromise?
Silver eyes landed on me, his tone dead. “There is no compromising with the Dynasty.”
We landed in the Sori province on Egyac. It was what Xri told us, anyway. The rest of the ride was smooth, but my nerves were still frazzled. I stood in the very back of the Human line they had placed us in and cocked a hip, peering around the Human in front of me to see what was going on. There were two Kireg at the very front of the line. The Kireg now in control of the ship didn’t wear scarves covering their eyes, and they were removing the bracelets from my peers and giving them standard black shirts, pants, and shoes.
Luckily, the rebellion Kireg appeared to be more shy in nature—probably because they actually used their damn eyes to see. The clothes they wore weren’t sheer, and neither were the clothes they were handing the Humans at the front. Though my heart beat heavy in my chest from the clothing the Kireg had changed into. The coloring was silver and made with a shiny compound, impenetrable from what my trained eye observed. On Joyal, I had used shield boxes made of the same material when I toyed with experiments that might blow up. They also had guns holstered to their backs and their legs.
They were prepared for battle.
I did a double take when Corza walked by of her own free will, not part of the Kireg hostages. The cloth covering her eyes was no longer there.
I quickly unlatched my space helmet and dropped it to the ground. I swatted a few blonde tresses that had come loose from my ponytail aside, my forehead sticky from nervous sweating. My feet were moving before I even thought twice about it. Her white, long hair flew out as she turned in my direction.
But I came to a screeching halt five feet away from her when the three Kireg she was talking to suddenly had guns pointed at my head. A deafening silence surrounded us in this packed corridor of the spaceship. I carefully lifted my hands into the air, making sure to speak in their native language. “I only want to speak with Corza. I’m not trying to harm anyone.”
Her eyes now seen were vivid purple. They ran over me from head to toe.
Then she grinned, flashing her white teeth. “Madeline Faire. I’m not surprised.” She patted the air while keeping her gaze on mine. Her command was simply stated, “Put your weapons away. She isn’t a threat to me.”
The men instantly did as told, holstering their guns. But they didn’t leave her side.
I cleared my throat and lowered my hands, peering at the Kireg soldiers surrounding her. “You, uh, have a lot of guards.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder in a sensual move, the white curls flowing like silk. Her resulting sigh was heavy, and she tilted her purple eyes skyward. “My brother is an overprotective bore.”
I squinted at her eyes, her curls. I took a guess. “Your brother is Georan.”
Her lips twitched as her regard met mine again, humor lighting her odd eyes. “I see you’ve met him.” When I nodded with annoyance, she shrugged a casual shoulder and bent closer to my face, explaining in a confidential tone, “Geo is the leader of the High Rebellion.”
My blink
was real slow. But I quickly removed any displeasure from my features.
Apparently, I had aggravated the rebellion leader earlier, and now I was bothering his sister.
I wasn’t off to a great start. I flicked a thumb over my right shoulder. “I think I’ll go back to the line now. My apologies for,” I glanced at her guards, “startling your men.”
She grabbed my gloved left hand and linked her arm with mine. “Actually, why don’t you walk with me?” Her smile was sweet and inviting, not forced.
“Uh…are you sure?” I glanced at her guards once more.
She waved her free hand and pulled me along with her. We walked down the long line of the silently observing Humans. “The guards will follow. They always do.” She patted my arm linked with hers. “So, Madeline Faire, what did you want to speak with me about?”
My brows gradually rose, and my shoulders relaxed. I still liked her, my initial reaction on Joyal unchanging. I held her unusual gaze and smirked. “Just call me Madeline—no last name needed. And you already know what I wanted to talk about. You listened to my thoughts when I came up behind you.”
Her grin didn’t falter, her cheeks pinched with humor. “I did, but I was attempting politeness.”
“Appreciated.” I dipped my head slightly in thanks, a cool breeze wafting in from the open cargo door close by. My attention turned to the terrain that was now visible. Blue grass and yellow boulders. I swallowed hard, staring at the captive Kireg standing on that unfamiliar landscape, their hands bound behind their backs.
Even though she already knew my question, I asked it anyway, “Are the Humans safe here? The rebellion members look prepared for battle.”
“The Sori province is one of the last we need to take down before we hit the Imperial family. Sori runs directly along the Mai province, which the High Rebellion possesses. When the Humans exit the ship, they will be taken to the south, into Mai. I will be leading the expedition. All Humans will be safe there, safe with me.”
I peered deeply into her eyes, and then scanned her features. Her smile was now forced, and lines bracketed her eyes. “But the warriors will be heading deeper into Sori.” Which included her brother, a person who she was worried about, that much obvious.
Her grin faded, and her nod was barely noticeable. “You’re very perceptive, Madeline.”
I didn’t comment on that. Instead, my eyes returned outside to the hostages. “What will your brother do with them?”
“What he must do until the war is over.”
My nostrils flared. “You mean he’ll kill them.”
“Not all of them.” She shrugged a strong shoulder. “Only the ones who try to escape. He’ll keep the others in a prison until the war is over with a new ruling control in place.”
“Him,” I muttered. “He’ll be the new ruling government.”
“Of course,” she answered easily. “He fights for freedom for all Kireg.”
I retorted with boldness, “While he still kills Kireg, who don’t bow to his wishes.”
“That is war.”
I ground my teeth together, my eyes caught on the ties binding the hostages.
“You are Human. Your people are peaceful. You have never faced a foe like the Dynasty.”
I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t believe in war. Earth had been ruined by it, and the greed Humans had once had. We learned from our past, and our existence now was nonviolent. It was extremely surprising that an alien species as far evolved as the Kireg, much more evolved than Humans, hadn’t already learned that lesson.
Corza hummed, her purple eyes capturing mine. “Circumstances make you do what you must. You’ll learn that in time. Perhaps, now, since you’re at the rebellion’s mercy.”
I cleared my expression. She knew how to hand down a quiet warning. “You may be correct, Corza. I mean no offense. This is new for me, as it will be for my peers. If they have the same opinions as I do, I implore that you don’t—”
She lifted her free hand, her arm still linked with mine. “The other Humans are merely frightened of their thoughts being read and interested in where they’ll be living—safely. They aren’t quite as curious and opinionated as you are.”
My mouth snapped closed. “Oh.” I was frightened too.
“But it isn’t overpowering your personality.”
“What happened to being polite?” I smirked.
“That was polite. I was reassuring you that you’re smarter than they are.”
A snort of laughter escaped my lips. “You don’t need to say that, but thank you.”
She pulled me closer to her side, and whispered, “If it makes you feel better about Geo ruling when he finishes this war, he is—somewhat—an heir to the throne.”
My brows puckered in confusion. “Why would he be fighting his own kindred group? Or even, why would you? And if you want to strike at them, it would make more sense to fight from within, not battle from the outside in.”
She nodded grandly, her smile reappearing. “See? You are smart. I knew it.”
I lifted my blonde brows and waited for her answer.
“My brother and I are born from a mother who is not the Queen, but our father is the King.”
My attention fell to the floor, with a niggling memory. There was a term for that in the old literature on Joyal. We didn’t use words like that anymore since our genes were handpicked and in vitro fertilization was used on surrogates, but on Earth, it hadn’t always been that way. When breeding was still a bodily act of sex, there were natural families. Humans had been married…
I snapped my gaze up. “You and your brother are bastards.”
She stared in silence, her quirked lips falling into a straight line.
I pulled my arm away from hers and took a step back. “Did I say something wrong?”
A deep, masculine timber rumbled directly behind my person. “I hope you merely made a mistake in speech, Ms. Faire. Surely, you wouldn’t call us a vulgar name when you’ve just landed on our planet.”
My feet turned slowly until I was looking up into purple eyes. But this gaze was colder than a preservation unit, chilling and brutal. This planet would be ruled by this man one day. My jaw bobbed, before I sputtered, “Shit.”
A white, cocky brow lifted on his tan face. “You shit your spacesuit?”
The air gasped out of my lungs. “No!”
The other brow lifted, matching the other’s height. He was waiting for my response.
I stuttered from the mere intimidation he exuded. “I-I didn’t call either of you a bad name. A ‘bastard’ was the term used on Earth when a person was born out of wedlock.”
Corza cleared her throat softly, her lips twitching.
He wasn’t appeased. “Are we on the Human’s old planet, Ms. Faire?”
“No, we’re not.” But it was a Human word, and I was Human. I just wouldn’t say it to his face if he found it offensive. “My apologies.” I puckered my brows gradually, even while amusement bubbled up inside me. “And you may call be Madeline, not Ms. Faire. Only my boss on Joyal called me that. But I’m unsure of what to call you. Mr. Vo-Nam? Georan? Geo? Man-Soon-To-Rule? He-Who-Scowls-Too-Much?”
Corza’s laughter boomed, her head dropping back with it. She waved her hands in the air, gasping for breath. “Madeline, I think you and I will be fast friends.” She flicked a finger at her glaring brother. “And call him Geo since it’ll bug the hell out of me if you call him anything else.”
I peered up at the rebellion leader and cocked my head.
The bastard sighed. “Geo is fine.” His eyes narrowed to thin purple slits. “Madeline.”
I nodded. “Wonderful.” My attention honed on his armor. I even lifted my right index finger and ran the pad of it over his breastplate. I furrowed my brows once more in concentration. It wasn’t completely the same material I had experience with. This was softer to the touch. I glanced up at him, ignoring his own furrowing brow at my action, and asked, “May come closer to examine this further
?”
He blinked. “If you were any closer, Human, you would be pressed against me.”
I snorted softly. I wasn’t that close to him. “That’s a no then.” My chest heaved in disappointment, and I peered to Corza. “Do you have more of the armor? I’d love to learn about it. I was an operator-in-training on Joyal. I have a natural curiosity to puzzles I can’t figure out.”
Her hair was flipped over her shoulder. “I’m sure we have a few where we’re going.”
“Perfect!” I almost bounced on my feet in excitement.
Her eyes widened in shock at my elation. “What exactly is an operator-in-training?”
I stopped moving and my nose scrunched. “Well, I actually tended to blow things up a lot.” I held up a quick finger. “But it was all in the name of science and furthering technology.”
Her chin started trembling, and she peered to her brother. “Don’t fret, Geo. We’ll keep an eye on her.”
He grunted, and glanced behind him. “Speaking of that, where is your mate? Xri was supposed to be watching her.”
I mumbled under my breath, “I’m not that bad.”
Geo didn’t even look at me, his eyes still scanning. “Yes, you are.”
I crossed my arms and lifted my chin. “Explain, please.”
“The mere fact you’re not in line with the other Humans is a perfect example.”
“My apologies, Kireg, that I don’t always follow the rules.”
Cold purple eyes quickly met mine. “That is the exact reason why you need watching.”
My mouth snapped shut, stopping my cutting remark, when Corza stepped between us. She placed her hands on his cheeks, cupping them. Her words were quiet. “Xri is using the facilities. You know he hates flying. It upsets his stomach terribly.” She went up on tiptoe and pecked his lips with hers. My eyes opened as large as saucers, unable to comprehend what I was witnessing. Her mouth opened to say something else, but both their heads snapped in my direction. After evaluating my features, she snickered softly, and murmured, “It is a sign of affection, Madeline. It’s called a kiss.”
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