by Tygati
Promise pulled back, his jaw brushing across the top of Jeremey's head as he withdrew. "My apologies. I should not have."
Jeremey blinked, trying to make sense of anything with the way his heart and mind were racing in circles. He couldn't manage to form the thoughts that would lead to words, staring upside-down at where Promise was still sitting close behind him.
"You, uh…"
"You are my very best friend as well, Jeremey Jasper," Promise said, one finger brushing against Jeremey's cheek, "although among my people it has a slightly different meaning than it does among yours."
"Heart, um," Jeremey grasped for the term. "Heart-partner?"
"Yes," Promise agreed. "The one you hold closest to your heart, above all others."
"Me."
"You." The hand touching Jeremey's cheek moved to stroke his hair. "Although if you do not wish for me to be your heart-partner, then I will abide by your wishes."
"I, uh…" Jeremey forced himself to breathe out slowly. "Can I think about it?"
Although Promise's face didn't have all the same characteristics as a human face, Jeremey still had the impression that he was surprised. "Of course. I would be most grateful if you would give consideration to my wish."
Jeremey smiled widely. "Well, yeah. That's what friends do, right?"
Promise slowly smiled back. "Indeed."
"Good." Jeremey let himself finish toppling over backwards, his head landing in Promise's lap. "Now if it's all the same to you, I think I'm going to go back to sleep until it's morning. I can only handle so many surprises in one night."
Promise laughed. "Then I will guard your dreams until the dawn comes, artificial though it may be."
Grinning, Jeremey settled his hat over his face to block out the light and closed his eyes. Whatever else might come with the dawn, he and Promise were still friends, and to Jeremey that was the only thing that really mattered.
ELEVEN
The rest of the voyage was downright uneventful once they straightened out nothing had really changed. The secrets which were now out in the open didn't affect their mission or their friendship. Jeremey still trusted Charlie and Zorevan with his life. Nothing would change that. As with the secret of the dragons' transformation, he felt as though his eyes had been opened. Suddenly the things that Charlie or Zorevan did, the little touches and gestures, took on all new meaning. These were two people who were, and always had been, the absolute center of each other's lives.
Someone really ought to tell Mayor Burke that she never stood a chance.
It was the situation with Promise that was more complicated. Sometimes he would watch Charlie with Zorevan and wonder what it would be like to have that, to share kisses with Promise the way he had with Harry. But the memory of Harry was still a sharp, aching wound in his heart that wouldn't heal.
Promise would never betray him. He knew that. But knowing it in his mind and convincing his bleeding heart of the truth of it were not the same thing.
So he spent his days exploring the Lucifaria and his nights in the cargo hold with Promise. Some nights Zorevan would stay with them, others he would not. The latter kind were the hardest on Jeremey, who would lie awake and wrestle with his aching heart, caught between desire and dread. It was a relief when morning finally came and he could pretend that he wasn't broken, that he wasn't bleeding out from a wound that he was terribly afraid would never heal.
It was safer not to think about it at all, to just pretend that everything was as it had always been, and focus on defeating the Vek. That much he could do, and maybe when it was all over he could figure out what to do about his bleeding heart.
In this fashion the days turned into weeks, the weeks into a month, and then finally they reached their destination.
Planet Rylon, the very heart of the Galactic Federation.
"Woah."
Beside him, Charlie made a strangled noise that Jeremey could only assume was agreement. The Lucifaria had been impressive. This was—there were no words.
Spires rose so high in the sky that their tops were hidden in clouds. Buildings were constructed in such a way that they seemed as though they should surely collapse and yet were perfectly stable. Carvings adorned many surfaces, both cut into and separate from the buildings they were ornamenting. There were even a few that had elaborate frescoes constructed out of living, growing plant life.
More than ever, Jeremey wished he was home on Noman where he belonged.
"This way," Colonel Brocius said, recalling their attention from the overwhelming opulence surrounding them. "I called ahead and spoke with my superiors. They've set up a meeting for you with the Council."
Jeremey wanted to ask "What council?" but didn't want to seem like even more of a country boy than he already felt. At least on Rylon he and Charlie didn't look quite so out of place as they had on the ship. There, everyone else had been in uniform or in the very plain ensemble worn by the crew while off-duty. On Rylon, the people seemed to wear everything and anything, to the point where Jeremey and Charlie's rider gear appeared positively plain in comparison.
Instead, it was Charlie who asked, "That who's in charge of your army?"
Colonel Brocius chuckled. "No, Sheriff. That is who is in charge of everything, although the military section heads will be there as well. You are proposing an end to The War, which makes this a matter of the utmost importance to the entire Galactic Federation."
Charlie muttered something that Jeremey didn't quite catch but was fairly certain was a curse. "Shouldn't have asked."
Jeremey was inclined to agree. He could have gone without knowing they were about to meet the most important people in the Galactic Federation. At least Charlie, Promise, and Zorevan were with him. And Promise was royalty himself! Sort of.
The building which housed the Galactic Federation Council was one of those that was apparently defying gravity, with two elaborately carved pilaster flanking the oversized doors. There was a steady flow of people entering and exiting and their small party simply fell in with the rest of the traffic.
Inside was even worse than the exterior had been, looking like someone had put an artist and an architect together and told them to enjoy themselves. There was so much to look at it made Jeremey's head spin and he finally had to give up trying or risk tripping and making an idiot of himself. Better to stay close to Promise and try not to gawk.
The lift in this building was much larger than the lift on the Lucifaria, enough to fit both dragons and humans with room to spare. They had to go up a flight of curved stairs to reach a wide landing before they could board the lift. It was made of glass on three sides and ran up the outside of the building, affording its passengers a breathtaking view of the capitol city.
Perversely, it made Jeremey wish he was on Promise's back, gliding through the skies of home.
When the lift finally stopped, high above the streets below, they all filed out and into a short hallway. There were two armed and uniformed guards at the end of it, flanking another set of oversized doors. One of the two nodded as they approached.
"Colonel, they're expecting you."
Colonel Brocius nodded back and pushed open the doors, allowing them all inside.
Despite whom it held, the Council chamber was the least visually imposing of those parts of Rylon they had seen so far. It had a buttressed ceiling, but the walls were smooth. The floor was black stone inlaid with smaller colored pieces that formed an unfamiliar image. The only furnishings present seemed to be roughly a dozen individual desk-chairs, formed into a loose semi-circle facing the door, and that appeared to be hovering just off the floor.
As they entered, one of the seated persons rose and approached them. He was tall, with blond hair starting to become streaked with grey.
"Colonel Brocius," the man greeted formally.
"Commandant," Colonel Brocius replied, just as formal. "These are Sheriff Charlie Colcord and Jeremey Jasper, of planet S-278-9X, and their dragons."
The man
Colonel Brocius had identified as 'Commandant' nodded. "I understand you have knowledge which could turn the tide of war for us, gentlemen. Please." He gestured toward the semi-circle of waiting persons.
Promise immediately stepped forward, walking at a steady pace until he was in the immediate center of the circle. Jeremey hurried to catch up with him, Charlie right on his heels, while Zorevan followed along at a more leisurely pace. Colonel Brocius remained where he was standing.
As soon as they were all within the circle of floating chairs, Promise switched shapes. Immediately there arose a clamor, with several of the formerly seated persons jumping to their feet. One of them, a tall biped with dense white fur, appeared to be deciding whether or not to draw a weapon.
Promise waited.
Zorevan yawned.
A slender, dusky-skinned man wearing bright orange and gold stepped down from his chair and held both arms into the air. After a slight delay, the din faded and there was silence. The man continued to hold his arms up for several breaths longer before lowering them and turning toward Promise.
"My apologies," he said, bowing.
"It was not unexpected," Promise replied, apparently unconcerned. "It is why we chose not to reveal ourselves until now."
"A wise decision." The man smiled. "I am Prime Minister Dejen Kone."
"I am Second-Heir Pritejna." Promise gestured to Jeremey and the others. "These are Shape-Master Zorevan and our friends Jeremey and Charlie. We have come to offer our assistance against the enemy you call the Vek."
A slight murmur arose at Promise's words but quelled itself just as quickly as it had arisen. Prime Minister Kone nodded solemnly.
"The Council will hear what you have to say, Second-Heir Pritejna." He returned to his seat. "Please."
Promise looked toward Zorevan, who only then relinquished his dragon shape for his more humanoid one. Then Promise looked slowly around the circle of seated persons, some human, most not, before speaking.
"My people have lived on the planet Noman for many millennia. Once before, in a time nearly forgotten, did the blood enemy, those you call the Vek, come to our world seeking to conquer and destroy. Our ancestors had no interest in being conquered and developed a defense with which they drove the blood enemy away. For good, we had thought." He frowned.
"It distresses us to learn that the ancient blood enemy would try again. It is our consensus that there will not be a third attempt. However, my people long ago gave up such things as starships with the rest of our technology when we chose a simpler life. To that end, we have come here. Our people have the weapon, Prime Minister, Councilors. We need only to be able to get to those places where it will be put to the greatest effect."
Promise spread his hands wide. "We do not know where those places might be. However, I suspect that you do."
One person, with feathers covering most of its body, stood. "How do we know this is not a trick?" it asked.
Promise smiled slowly. "If we intended to destroy you, Councilor, believe me, you would already be dead. All we are interested in is protecting our home against a common enemy."
"What do we have to lose?" another councilor asked, this one human as far as Jeremey could tell. "A couple of ships, a handful of soldiers; I'd say that's an acceptable risk to take when the potential reward is the end of the war with the Vek."
"So you say," rumbled someone with dense white fur and wearing a military uniform, "but it is not your people who are being sent to die."
"Neither will it be yours," announced a tall, blue-skinned female with a set of four small opalescent horns jutting up from her skull. She was also wearing a uniform. "Councilors, Prime Minister, I volunteer to take command of this operation."
This time, when chaos erupted, Prime Minister Kone did nothing to rein it in. He simply sat with his fingers steepled, waiting. If Jeremey looked closely, he was fairly certain that Dejen Kone was smiling.
The blue woman didn't seem particularly concerned either. She stood with her arms crossed, a long, thin tail slowly flicking back and forth behind her. Occasionally she would glance to one side or the other and roll her eyes, but she said nothing further.
Eventually the din died down again, although it took far longer than it had before without Prime Minister Kone's intervention. When it last it seemed that the councilors were through arguing, Dejen Kone stood up and held up his arms.
"My fellow councilors, shall we put it to a vote? All in favor of granting approval to this enterprise under the command of General Sini, please indicate."
Several councilors stood immediately. Several more hesitated, then stood as well. In the end, there were only three persons remaining seated.
Prime Minister Kone lowered his arms. "Very well, then. General Sini, the matter is in your hands. May the gods of all our peoples look favorably upon you."
The blue-skinned woman nodded. "Thank you, Prime Minister. Councilors. The next time we meet it is my intention that this war will be over." She stepped down from her floating seat and moved into the center of the circle where the visitors from Noman waited.
"If you will come with me," General Sini said calmly, "we will discuss what you need and see about getting you properly equipped."
Promise gave a small nod. "Thank you, General."
General Sini's mouth quirked, but she said nothing further. Instead, she led the way back out of the council room to the glass lift. Promise, Jeremey, Charlie, and Zorevan followed her. When Jeremey looked back, Colonel Brocius winked and raised a fist but did not move to follow.
The lift took them back down to the ground, but instead of leaving through the main doors, General Sini led them deeper into the building. They made two turns before encountering another, less opulent lift. This lift took them down again, somewhere underground, to what appeared to be a vehicle storage room. There were several uniformed persons waiting, one of which came forward when General Sini exited the lift.
"General." He raised his hand to his forehead.
General Sini returned the gesture. "HQ, Corporal."
The man lowered his hand. "Yes, sir." He led them to a large greenish vehicle, the doors of which slid open as they approached. Once they were all inside the doors closed and the man directed the vehicle through the large room and up a ramp until they emerged into daylight.
"I believe it is safe to assume that you do not wish to share the specifics of your weapon with us," General Sini said once they were out among the regular traffic.
"I would prefer not to," Promise confirmed apologetically.
"Mm." General Sini gave a slight nod. "I read Colonel Brocius's report. I'm not certain I would trust us either after that. Still, if we are going to formulate an effective attack plan, I need to at least know the basics of how it is to be deployed."
"Close conditions," Promise replied. "Strategic targets. This is not something which can be used against a large group. Zorevan and I need to be within touching distance."
General Sini smiled wryly. "Of course it wouldn't be that easy." The levity faded and she frowned in thought. "A small strike team… Do you both need to be present to use this weapon or can you go after separate targets?"
Promise shook his head. "Zorevan and I are each capable of operating independently."
General Sini nodded. "That will help."
The vehicle slowed to a stop and they all got out into another underground vehicle storage room, this one even larger than the last one.
"It will take several days to assemble everything. I need to recall a few people," General Sini informed them. "Feel free to explore Rylon, but don't wander too far. Corporal Hewins will get you set up with quarters on base."
Promise nodded. "Thank you."
General Sini chuckled. "I believe that, if you actually manage to succeed at this mad scheme of yours, it will be I who owes thanks to you." She turned smartly on her heel and began to walk away, toward a door on the far side of the room.
Corporal Hewins turned toward them with a
grin. "Well, then, you heard the general. Let's find you somewhere to crash until it's time for you to go running off to try to get yourselves killed."
*~*~*
They were assigned two rooms which they divided in the most logical manner: Charlie and Zorevan in one room, Jeremey and Promise in the other. They all retired early, having had an eventful day, but despite how tired he was, Jeremey tossed and turned for hours before finally pinpointing what was bothering him.
"Promise?" he called softly.
"Yes?" Promise answered, swiftly enough that Jeremey knew he hadn't woken him.
"Can I, um…? Would you mind…? I can't sleep."
There was a soft rustling of fabric, then a moment of silence before Promise called out, "Well?"
Jeremey scrambled out of bed and into Promise's, the familiar heat and scent of dragon wrapping around him like a blanket. Promise curled around him protectively and Jeremey closed his eyes, sleep overtaking him at last. He did not wake again until the morning light streaming through the windows roused them both.
Relaxed and rested, in the morning Jeremey was able to pay attention to an oddity he had overlooked in all of the prior day's events.
"You have hair. When did you get hair? You didn't have hair before…"
Promise laughed. "I asked Zorevan. He taught me how to do it."
"Why did you have to ask Zorevan?" Jeremey asked, puzzled. "You couldn't just…?" He waved a hand, unable to articulate himself.
Promise shook his head. "All dragons can assume two shapes. This, our natural shape, and the larger shape which we tend to prefer due to its superior defensive capabilities. The changing is easier for some than for others and these days most do not even try to learn more than the basics. As for changing an existing shape, that is so difficult that many would declare it impossible."
Promise winked. "You have probably already figured out that Zorevan is the type to do things simply because someone else told him it could not be done."
Jeremey grinned. "I got the impression, yeah."