“And what of the people’s needs?”
“Out of those who need protection, Lumen’s need is the greatest because she is the weakest.”
Chagrined, I harrumphed.
I glanced up at my mates only to find them nodding.
The Elders didn’t think it nonsense either; they exchanged pensive glances.
Many of the Rä surrounding us clapped and called out in support.
The mood of the public shifted in our favour.
Because they thought I was freaking weak.
I spun and yelled, “I’ll have you know my scream is gnarly! And that ‘hatchling’ who jumped me weighed, like, a tonne.”
“Of course,” said a kindly a’Rä in a placatory tone.
His lined face creased deeper in pity as he leaned on his cane and squinted into my hood.
Stooped as he was, he was still a foot taller than my height. “You are a ferocious little thing.”
“This is absurd,” Dare Viper to Bite grated returning our eyes to the holoscreen.
I started shouting an agreement before Cobra slapped a hand over my mouth.
“It is not.” Offended, Fiercely’s glower filled the display. He chafed the back of his neck. “It is truth. You cannot deny my words or ridicule them because they do not support your agenda.”
“You are–”
“Be silent,” Calm as Thunder interjected. “We heard you. Let him speak.”
“You are an alien sympathiser,” Dare Viper to Bite accused.
Calm as Thunder’s mouth whitened.
“Do you not hear yourself?” another Elder asked. “You speak as if her compassion and fairness is to be reviled. I will hear our citizen speak if it means I am remembered as just and fair rather than hidebound.”
Fiercely rolled his shoulders. “As I said, Lumen is Rä. If you do not believe the instant Venomous One claimed her she was made so, you cannot deny she became so after the bonding ceremony approved by the Northern Senate. We do not sell our people to slavers. I will not let you sell my Rä’Na for a peace the L’Odo have no intention of honouring.”
Pride in him choked me.
He was so brave as he stood up for our crazy/beautiful family.
I stepped forward and tugged my astounded mates after me. “Come on.”
Passing through the hologram and the haze into the air conditioned building, we rushed through the immaculate, echoic corridors.
We screeched to a halt at the back of the jammed conclave.
Setting me between them, to keep me from being jostled, Venomous and Cobra shouldered us a path through the middle.
Gasps and whispers followed in our wake then spread through the assembly.
We reached the front as Calm as Thunder stood.
Her voluminous, silver robes draped in sumptuous folds over her statuesque frame.
“We have heard the testimony of He, Fiercely Comes the Night on behalf of his clan. It was put to the Great Senate that She, Lumen of the Stars be given to the L’Odo aggressors, as they have stated it is a prerequisite of maintaining peace. Your Elders will now vote. Speak yes or no.”
Despite the tension thickening the air, the Rä’Na’s distinguished face was tranquil.
Her rosy brow scales rose as she declared in a voice that rang clear as a bell, “I vote–”
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
“–no.” She, Calm as Thunder glanced at those who exclaimed in surprise. Waved a hand in a ‘be as it will’ gesture. “I say, the L’Odo broke peace with us when they enslaved He, Venomous One. For over an aeon, he toiled for them, and his kindred mourned him. It is an offence we cannot forgive.” A thunderbolt of anger darkened her expression. “Truth, we are already at war. There simply has not been a formal acknowledgment.”
The rest of the Great Senate followed her example. “–I vote no.”
“–No.”
“–Grandfather shelter us, I vote no.”
“–I, too, vote no.”
“–No.”
“I vote no,” Dread the Darkness boomed gazing at his Rä’Na seated at his side. “We are strong. Let us not allow the threat of war to break us. Existing for existence sake is not what we revere. We fight for life, but only so we may live with those who bring us joy.” His gaze landed on me. He inclined his head. “I refuse to cut the joy from the lives of others in fear I might lose my own. Only the former is definite, and may be controlled. The latter is up to fate.”
Dare Viper to Bite looked dumbfounded.
He dropped onto his cushion in an ungainly sprawl. “She must be considered Rä. To vote otherwise for no reason would make me a fiend to abhor. We do not give up our own. I ... I vote no.”
The four remaining Elders voted no.
“We are unanimous,” Calm as Thunder stated. “She, Lumen of the Stars is Rä, and we do not betray our own. Let the L’Odo do as they are wont to do. If we must fight because they will not listen to reason then we will fight.”
She sat.
And I developed a girl crush because she didn’t look ruffled in the least.
Fiercely’s mouth popped open. “Gratitude. I ... will ... go over there now.”
He jerked a bow then stepped back looking bewildered.
It took him a while to come back to himself, and realise we surrounded him.
He scowled at me even as his arms wrapped around my shoulders and waist. “You were not supposed to come here.”
Lips curving, I rubbed my nose against his warm, peppery throat. “Good to see you too, sweetheart.”
“Perhaps now there will be a topic other than the ‘dangerous’ alien in our midst at next conclave.” Wind Dancer’s amused voice came from behind us. “One may hope.”
Surprised, I pulled away from Fiercely to face him, concerned. “Why aren’t you on the Great Senate?”
He glanced his forehead across mine in a paternal gesture of affection. “Venomous One is my offspring. You are his mate. These conflicts of interest were raised. This was truth. I abdicated my place to Dread the Darkness. Temporarily, of course. It was a good choice, I think.”
I hugged Dawning Light, and let him fuss over the folds of my robe until his nest mate yanked him off.
The conclave grew quiet as the looming shadow of war engulfed it.
Motionless on their cushions, the Elders took a moment of reflection.
Soon they might bear the unfair cost of doing what was good and right.
“Okay, Lumen, pretend you have big brass balls.” I inhaled the combined scents of my Rä’Veks, gathered my courage, and then nosily cleared my throat. I pushed my hood back to show my face. “May I speak?”
Hundreds of pairs of gleaming, black eyes turned to me.
She, Calm as Thunder cocked her head. “All Rä may speak here.”
Giving my mates a ‘this is it’ smile, I let go of their hands.
They walked with me for a couple of strides, but stopped when Venomous held out his arms.
Cams swivelled to follow me with a mechanical whirring.
Swallowing, my palms grew moist.
The cams projected my image to personal communicators and holoscreens planetwide.
Praise Zython, I changed my clothes, I mused in a rare moment of female vanity, and liking the way my softsuit glided over my curves, how my robe shimmered in the sunlight after Dawning Light’s intervention.
There was no helping the hair the Rä found so unattractive.
It was big, wild, curly and kinky.
I looked like a tiny marching ball of fluff.
They just have to deal with it.
“What the fuck is she doing?” I heard Fiercely hiss, only for Cobra to hiss, “Shut the fuck up,” back, only for Venomous to hiss, “Both of you shut the fuck up.”
Deep into the crowd, someone whispered, “What does fuhuck mean?”
And then, I just dove right in.
“Before I do what I need to, I’d like to say thanks to the people who have been kind to me, and who
helped me since my arrival. Many of you know I was taken from my home. I guess Earth, my planet, is a closed world too, in a sense. I’d never seen aliens. The existence of life on other planets is ... fiction to my species. So when the L’Odo threw me into the arena, and I saw Venomous, I was terrified. He was alien, not like me. At first, being with him was bad.”
I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me.
I didn’t turn.
“Then it got better, and better, until he became my whole world. He treated me with respect. Building on that, we became friends, and then we became lovers in the truest sense. We forged a bond that will never be broken.”
I did turn then, and beamed a smile at my primary mate.
“Ever,” he vowed.
I grinned wider then spun back around.
“I worried about coming to Rök. I believed the Rä people would never accept me because I was different. But Venomous told me he mated a who not a what. He said that he would be my voice until I felt welcome. On the journey here, I met Fiercely.” I patted my chest. “And he carved a place out for himself in my heart by fighting for my life, as only a mighty Rä warrior can. He was victorious! He protected me from the dishonourable Dei San!”
Many of the warriors in the assembly growled and stomped their booted feet.
“So after defeating actual space pirates, they got me here.” My voice was as baffled as my expression. “And I was amazed. Rök is beautiful, and there are kind souls that have touched me, and have taught me lessons about myself and this endless universe I live in. But some reacted with hostility and fear. Afraid, of me.” I shook my head. “Despite being alone, the only of my kind, lost in space, to them, I was the terrifying alien. Not all of you acted that way.”
I looked over my shoulder and found Deathly As It Goes towards the front.
I glanced at Wind Dancer, Dawning Light, and then, finally, my gaze rested lovingly on my Cobra.
“Some of you accepted me without question,” I whispered. “Saw to the heart of who I was, and did not fear what I was. That’s when I knew I could make a home here for me and my clan. That my hatchling would be safe on this amazing planet, so far from my own.”
I faced the Elders again, voice growing strong.
“Venomous once told me, on his home world, the people were heard by their leaders. I didn’t believe him.” I paused. “I watched Fiercely stand before you, and was scared. I thought you’d ignore him, humiliate him for standing up for what he believed in, but you didn’t. You listened. You accepted his reasoning as your own. Thank you, Elders, from the bottom of my single, hardy, human heart. Your acceptance of me, an alien, means the faith of my mate in his people, in your integrity, is justified. It took you a while, long enough to shake that faith, but you’ve proven him right. It means there is a chance what I have to offer will be heard, and resonate as deeply as it is deserved.”
Folding her hands, Calm as Thunder lowered her head.
She spoke quietly, but with passion. “You humble us.”
“Speak on, Rä’Na,” Dread the Darkness urged.
There were more murmurs for me to speak, and I could hear shouts and calls from all the way outside.
The exuberant response and jubilant mood was good.
The rest was kind of radical.
I’m a rebel cosmonaut and this is my freaking party.
“I want a job,” I blurted. Backing up a bit, I fanned my warm face then tried again. “I put it to the Great Senate that I, She, Lumen of the Stars, am uniquely qualified to represent the Rä people as their Ambassador of Intergalactic Relations.” I hesitated. “I want that job.”
All twelve Elders exchanged puzzled looks.
Calm as Thunder lowered her chin. “I fear you have lost us. Rök is a closed world. We do not have, nor need an Ambassador of Intergalactic Relations.”
“Respectfully, I disagree. Considering current events, the job is critical to our survival.”
Dare Viper to Bite straightened. “Enough. We have no time for this folly. We must respond to the L’Odo Chieftain, and prepare for war.”
“Yes, we must,” I shouted over the rising din before I lost control and was set aside. “My first act of business if granted the post of Ambassador will be to secure a military alliance with a powerful ally to stand with us against the L’Odo menace. This united front will intimidate them into withdrawing their forces. I think. I mean, I hope.”
Behind me, I heard Venomous mutter, “Now I want to know what the fuck she is doing.”
The half circle of Elders stared.
One a’Rä with snow-white quills and milky brille went so far as to stick a finger in his ear then rummage around.
It was Dare Viper to Bite who replied, mockingly at that. “Even if we considered opening our borders, it would take cycles to commence worthwhile communications with a world powerful enough to daunt the L’Odo, and then moontides, if not solars, to reach an agreement that was to our advantage. At the least, did not see us held to their mercy, a state of affairs we have avoided for countless generations. We need help now.” He pointed upward. “Battleships are in orbit above us as we speak. You are suggesting we negotiate an advantageous treaty of such complexity within the next span, as our deadline to respond to the Chieftain looms nigh?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe,” he echoed.
“Depends,” I added leadingly.
Exasperated, he slapped his thighs. “Depends on what?”
“If I have the job or not.” There was still a chance they would discriminate against me because I wasn’t like them, refusing to put me in a position of power. “If you like my suggestion, but turn me down to appoint someone else, it won’t work. As I said before, I am uniquely qualified.”
“Why do you think this will work?” Calm as Thunder asked, curious. “Not only is it known we do not ally with others, so an approach on our part will be seen as weakness, and, therefore, seen as an opportunity to prey upon us, the L’Odo are notorious in their stubbornness. A united front with another planet may not deter them. Why do you believe this strategy will succeed?”
“Because the L’Odo are predators who may have made the grave mistake of thinking we’re predictable prey. Now, I’m not a hunter, so if you don’t mind, I know of a Master who can explain this next bit far better than I.” I turned to Cobra and asked, “Honey, the other moon you told me the story of the razorbeasts you’d taken down. How do they hunt?”
Cobra cocked his head, unsure of what I was doing.
Let’s be honest, I sounded all over the place.
As he spoke of his trade, it was with confidence. “They are lazy animals. They sleep through most of the day to avoid the sun, and hunt before first moon, or after third when it is cooler. They stalk waterholes, lying in wait amongst the wild grasses, and strong smelling kakt-kakt to mask their scent. But they can be opportunists. If something tasty runs past at high heat, they will take it down.”
“So they hunt the weakest prey?”
“Oh, no. That is a misconception. Goodbeast, while predictable,” he frowned at the word, “are fast. They might escape back to the herd if lucky. A herd with a strong breeding male can kill a razorbeast by kicking out its hooves, and stomping it to death with help from the others. So razorbeasts most often pick out not the weakest of the herd, but the ones who have wandered far from the group. Who are,” his eyes were huge, “isolated.”
“Thanks, honey.” I turned back to face the Great Senate. “Earlier when Cobra explained to me what the L’Odo were doing, I pointed out the Verak complained, and got their trade privileges suspended. It was indirectly my doing, but there was no possible way for them to know I had a hand in it. Then I asked myself a question. Why isn’t the Chieftain hovering above Vayhalun demanding the Great Alpha? Why did the L’Odo choose to target Rök instead of Vayhalun? Yes, I aggravated a minor Tribal Chief related to the Chieftain, but the L’Odo are a selfish, grasping species. They need to invade a planet to survive. Howe
ver, in their eyes, the Verak took away their power to trade with registered planets, not me. Surely losing credits hand over fist because of a King, trumps getting even with an alien female from an unknown planet. So why Rök?”
“Veraks are strong,” a voice from the crowd called.
“The might of Venomous was put against that of a Verak, and proved stronger,” I said. “Many L’Odo witnessed this. They know Rä are strong. They must consider the Veraks weaker in comparison. So again, I ask, why target Rök instead?”
“Because we are the goodbeast who has wandered from the herd,” Calm as Thunder whispered. “We are isolated. An opportunity to take down at high heat.”
“The Verak have eight political allies, and five military alliances with other warrior species. One of those is with the feared Azteka.”
I had no clue what an Azteka was, or looked like, or anything about them.
Strike that, I did know the species made potent wine.
Albeit, his enjoyment of their intoxicating beverage had been great, happy-go-lucky Beowyn had spoken of them in a subdued, dark manner that had my hair standing on end.
From the reaction of the conclave you’d think I told them Beowyn was allied with the Great Serpent itself.
“The L’Odo knew if they declared war on Vayhalun they would lose,” I carried on. “The Great Alpha would call on his legions, call on his allies and obliterate them. They can declare war on us because they reckon they have a shot at winning.” I drew myself up then extended my arm to point. “I am not willing to send my Rä’Veks off to war knowing they might never come home when there is a simple way to ensure nobody ever fucks, uh, messes with us again. I say we take away the notion we can be bested. We make it impossible for the L’Odo to win by not being predictable, isolated prey.”
Venomous: Erotic Science Fiction Romance (Alien Warrior Book 1) Page 60