Rouhr

by Elin Wyn

  “As will I,” Vrehx seconded.

  Nearly half of the strike teams declared they would willingly stay behind even if the Aurora was cleared for space travel. There was a clear trend. All who agreed to stay had grown close to the humans while they were here, joined by many of those who knew they had no family back home to defend.

  It was no secret that some of my crew had found love in the arms of human women. Many had also built strong friendships.

  Those who were adamant about leaving hadn’t socialized much with the humans. They’d likely avoided contact on purpose, knowing we’d have to leave at some point.

  This divide presented a whole new slew of problems. If the Aurora left Ankau, it would be leaving without many vital crewmembers.

  I’d need Thribb to factor that into his unending calculations. He’d probably be thrilled at the challenge.

  “What of the cure for hybridism?” Daxion spoke up. “How does that change things?”

  “It’s progressing,” I replied. “Not as quickly as I’d like, but there’s nothing to be done about that.”

  “Evie’s working night and day to make it happen,” Sakev growled. “She doesn’t rest, even when I tell her to.”

  “I know she is,” I agreed. “It’s simply a matter of time. A cure needs to be produced before we leave on the Aurora.”

  “So, the Aurora will leave, if she’s able?” Karzin insisted.

  “As of this moment, that’s in our best interest,” I announced. “However, the development of a cure could change or forestall that.”

  “That’d be even more of a reason to leave,” Rokul said. “If they can cure the hybridism, the humans will have more people available to fight against the Xathi. They won’t need us.”

  “That’s not for you to decide,” I corrected. “I’ve given you all of the information I have at present. You’re all dismissed, but let me warn you now,” I added before they could slip off, “should I hear of any arguing or similar conduct over today’s discussion outside of this room, there will be consequences.” I didn’t lift my gaze until I received a nod of understanding from everyone.

  When they’d all gone, I lowered myself into the closest seat.

  I enjoyed meeting regularly with the crew. These meetings usually provided a sense of clarity.

  But now I had just confirmed that the crew was as torn about this as I was.

  A headache pulsed at my temple.

  Of all things, I was craving the humans’ coffee.

  And maybe a sympathetic ear to share it with. But Vidia still wasn’t talking to me, so coffee alone it would be.

  4

  Vidia

  I was in the lab again, for once not badgering Evie and Leena with questions about the cure every five minutes. They enjoyed the silence at first, but after a few hours of it, they realized something wasn’t right.

  During the day, I usually sat at my desk in the refugee wing so I could talk to people if they needed something.

  However, for the past three days, I’d been hiding out in the lab. I didn’t know how I could face everyone, knowing that Rouhr was planning on leaving Ankau.

  I’d have to tell everyone sooner or later.

  The news would have to come from me.

  If it came from Rouhr or any of the alien crew members, there’d be a riot.

  I just needed a little bit more time to work up my nerve.

  How could I look into a sea of trusting faces and tell them their choice was either to abandon their home or to stay on a planet swarming with Xathi?

  I was still furious with Rouhr.

  Mostly.

  Entirely.

  But yet...the small part of me that wasn’t angry with him understood his point of view, but I could never support his decision.

  “Your silence is creeping me out.” Evie peered up at me from her lab table.

  “I’ve got a lot to think about.”

  I had to keep reminding myself that nothing was final yet. There was still time for Evie, Leena, and Glint to find a cure. If they did, Rouhr would have to change his mind about leaving right away.

  Then again, there was always the chance that he wouldn’t.

  I was so engrossed in thought that I didn’t hear the shouting at first.

  “Vidia!” Evie shouted my name, bringing me back to the here and now. I snapped to attention.

  “What is it? What’s the matter?” I scrambled to my feet. I looked at Evie. There were tears in her eyes.

  “We did it!”

  It was then that I saw a huge smile plastered on her face. “Did what?” I was still convinced something terrible had happened.

  “The cure, Vidia!” Evie exclaimed. “We did it!”

  Finally, the pieces clicked together in my head. Happy tears. Evie was crying happy tears. The shouts were shouts of joy, not yet another imminent disaster.

  Still, it was hard to hope. “Are you sure?”

  “Come see for yourself!” Evie gestured to her microscope.

  “Will what I see make a bit of sense to anyone without medical training?”

  “Not in the slightest.” Evie laughed.

  Slowly, bit by bit, a tremendous weight began to lift from my chest and shoulders. I took what felt like my first full breath in days.

  We had a cure for hybridism. It was finally sinking in.

  “How does it work?” I inquired.

  “It can easily be made into an airborne…purifier.” Evie searched for the right word. “However, it wouldn’t be hard to condense it into pill form for people to take orally.”

  “Incredible.” I clasped my hands together in front of my chest. “We’ve got to bring this to Rouhr immediately.”

  I waited for Leena, Evie, and Glint to gather the notes and test results they wanted Rouhr to see.

  “Do you want to do the talking, Evie?” I asked.

  “No,” Evie answered quickly, her eyes widening. “I always get so nervous talking to the general.”

  “Whatever for?” I held back a laugh.

  “He’s the only one on this ship scarier than Axtin or Leena,” Evie murmured.

  We both glanced at Leena.

  “Axtin? Scary?” she snorted. “But you’re right, the general is an intimidating figure.”

  Odd words, coming from Leena, who steadfastly refused to be afraid of anything or anyone.

  Odd altogether, really. I’d never found Rouhr particularly intimidating. Up until recently, I’d held him in the highest regards, but I was never intimidated by him.

  “I’ll do the talking, then. I suppose.” I didn’t bother hiding my confusion.

  “It makes sense, considering you’re the human female version of him.” Leena shrugged.

  “I am?” This was news to me.

  “How have you not noticed?” Evie laughed. “You two are practically the same person, only you have twice the energy.”

  “Do you think I’m intimidating?” I asked.

  Evie and Leena both took a moment to consider, while Glint listened in with what I could guess was an amused expression on her face.

  “I respected you right away,” Evie answered. “But I think you’re less intimidating than Rouhr.”

  “He’s a giant red alien covered in battle scars, after all,” Leena added.

  “He’s only got the one scar,” I corrected.

  I don’t know why it was so important for me to mention that. Rouhr probably did have scars in other places that I couldn’t see.

  Not that I thought about it often…or at all.

  Really.

  The one on his face wasn’t that bad. Yes, it was noticeable, and it was clearly from a bad injury, but I thought it added even more ruggedness to him. He must have been one hell of a soldier before he moved into an office.

  I forced myself to stop thinking about Rouhr and his life. I was still angry with him. Though, hopefully, once he found out we had a cure for the hybridism, I wouldn’t have to be angry with him anymore.

&nb
sp; When we left the lab, I was practically running. I reached Rouhr’s office long before the others did. I peeked through the office window while I waited for them to catch up.

  Rouhr sat at his desk, looking exhausted.

  Too many nights I’d gone to bed late, and could see his lights still on.

  I’d guess he still wasn’t sleeping at night.

  Thribb stood in front of the desk, gesturing broadly as he spoke.

  I would’ve preferred to announce the cure to Rouhr when he was alone, but it wouldn’t hurt for Thribb to know, either. There were options, ramifications, whether the single-minded engineer wanted to acknowledge them or not.

  I waited for the others to catch up before I knocked.

  To be honest, Rouhr looked relieved to have an excuse to interrupt Thribb. He spotted me through the window, and his expression shifted between surprise and concern.

  “Vidia, is everything all right?” he asked when he opened the door.

  “They found a cure,” I announced.

  A broad smile spread across Rouhr’s face. It was a nice smile, a genuine smile.

  It made him even more handsome.

  “You’re certain?” He looked from me to the others, then back at me.

  “The simulations we ran produced incredible results,” Evie piped up.

  “Simulations?” Thribb turned to us. “You’ve only tested this cure via simulations?”

  “It’s not like we can bring a live hybrid on board for testing,” Leena interjected. “These simulations are almost as good as the real thing. Glint is an expert, after all.” Leena nodded to Glint, who nodded back.

  “Almost is the difference between life and death, success and failure, with these sorts of things,” Thribb argued. “What you really have is a mash-up concoction of who knows what with no real evidence that it works.”

  “Enough, Thribb,” Rouhr warned.

  I’d never spoken much to Thribb. We often attended the same meetings with Rouhr and others, but we’d never had reason to speak with each other. I was shocked by his immediate rejection of the cure.

  “Apologies,” Thribb muttered, but his callousness was the end of my patience.

  “No.” My temper snapped like the end of a bullwhip. “I want to know why you’re objecting so strongly without even looking at the data Evie, Leena, and Glint have spent days gathering.”

  “The Aurora and her repairs must take first priority,” he said smugly. “To utilize the cure would mean taking resources away from the repairs. I’m assuming you four weren’t planning on marching through Xathi territory yourselves, handing it out like a treat, hmm?”

  “You know that’s not possible,” I replied.

  “Exactly. So, you’d need teams, transport units, ammunition, and likely even more to spread this cure. Yet, this cure hasn’t been tested. There’s a chance—no doubt, you’re going to tell me it’s a small chance—that the cure will be useless, resulting in a waste of already limited resources.” Thribb folded his spindly arms over his narrow torso.

  “There’s a chance of error in your calculations, though I’m sure you’ll tell me it’s a small one, yet you’re parading those as infallible,” I shot back.

  “The programs and systems I use to make my calculations have the smallest error percentage in the known universe,” he snapped.

  “Do you use the Urai’s tech for your work?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he scoffed. “Everything of mine was left back on the Vengeance.”

  “So, somehow the Urai tech you’re using is superior to the tech that Glint, a Urai herself, was using to painstakingly construct a realistic simulation of how the cure would interact with the brain chemistry of a hybrid?” I challenged.

  “My methods are tried and tested. Glint’s simulations were created from scratch and yet to be tested until this day,” Thribb argued.

  “Just admit that you’re a coward and you’re trying to convince the general to run away!” I snapped.

  “Vidia,” Rouhr said gently. My focus was pulled from Thribb, and my anger was able to dissipate. Rouhr had one arm extended in my direction, his hand open and hovering a few inches over my forearm.

  “I’m sorry,” I sighed. “Your engineer hasn’t heard of empathy.”

  “The facts force me to look beyond empathy,” Thribb replied.

  Rouhr shot him a warning look.

  I didn’t want to say anything at that moment, especially since I’d never seen the calculations Thribb often cited, but I had a difficult time believing the situation was as dire as Thribb insisted it was.

  Down in the refugee wing, it was common courtesy not to take more than what was needed. But even then, there was always more than enough to go around. If the Aurora was under that much strain, I felt like we would feel it more in the refugee wing.

  But, again, I’d never seen Thribb’s calculations, so I stayed quiet.

  For now.

  Rouhr read over Evie and Glint’s notes. It didn’t take him long to skim through the most vital bits of information.

  “Since it’s my decision,” Rouhr began, looking at Thribb out of the corner of his eye, “curing the affected humans is now the top priority.”

  I expected Thribb to argue, but he stayed silent. Maybe he actually would care, after all.

  But he wasn’t my concern.

  “Thank you.” I placed my hand on Rouhr’s shoulder, “You’re doing the right thing.”

  Even through his jacket, the heat of his skin tingled through my fingers. I pulled away sharply, but not before our eyes met.

  What on earth was that?

  5

  Rouhr

  I called a meeting the following morning and watched the members of my strike teams file in.

  Silent.

  Tense.

  My crew knew me well enough to know I only called multiple meetings in a week if something big was going to happen.

  “I’m sure some of you have heard by now.”

  I glanced at Axtin and Sakev. I had a reasonable suspicion that Leena and Evie had revealed their breakthrough to their mates.

  “A cure for hybridism has been developed. As I told you last time we met, this does affect our plans with the Aurora.”

  Several team members swore under their breath, apparently under the false impression that the dulling color of my scales also indicated my hearing was going.

  I shot Rokul and Karzin warning looks, and they straightened sharply in their chairs.

  Neither had been shy about voicing their opinions in the past, but this wasn’t the time.

  “I should hope that, as the best and brightest of my crew, you remember the oath you took,” I continued, my mild tone offsetting the dead seriousness of my words. “When we last met, I heard your concerns and your respective opinions. However, now we have a chance to save a great many lives. If you still feel strongly against pouring our time and energy into attempting to reverse the hybridism, then, by all means, you may leave this room.”

  A small percentage of the strike teams began to shift in their seats.

  “However,” I added before anyone could move too much, “you will be breaking your oath and will be demoted.”

  Those who were considering leaving quickly stilled.

  “Very good,” I grinned.

  That should take care of any insubordination. “Vidia, would you like to share your thoughts?”

  She stepped forward, her calm bearing once again impressing me. A few months ago, none of her people had ever had contact with another intelligent space-faring species.

  Now she faced a room of alien warriors, not all of whom were thrilled to hear her news, as easily as she settled random disputes between the humans.

  I forced my wandering attention back to her words, rather than her interestingly expressive face.

  “At this moment, Dr. Parr and Dr. Dewitt have returned to the lab to perfect their innovation. Dr. Parr has informed me that the cure can be produced in two different form
s. For the time being, I’d like to focus on the airborne form.”

  She rattled off the technical details. Obviously, she’d prepared thoroughly for the presentation; as usual, being her people’s voice so that the scientists could get on with their work.

  She must have crammed all night. I smothered a grin. I’d have had to do the same for something so far outside my regular scope.

  “It will be easy for you to tell where the airborne variation has been released,” she continued. “The gas has been colored bright pink, so that there’s no wasted time wondering where the cure has been deployed.”

  “Excuse me, did you say pink?” Axtin interrupted. He sounded like he was trying not to laugh.

  “I did,” Vidia confirmed, “Why?”

  “That was Leena’s choice, wasn’t it? She has a thing for pink,” he replied.

  Vidia cracked a smile. “You’ll have to ask her.” She refocused, concluding the presentation. “Due to the nature of the airborne cure, the scientific team agrees that a highly concentrated air strike would be the best course of action. Is this something that would be possible?” Vidia looked to me.

  “Sounds entirely possible,” I replied. “Strike team leaders, do you agree?” Vrehx, Sk’lar, and even Karzin nodded their agreement.

  “Excellent.” I clapped my hands together. “Last night, I took it upon myself to gather some information on the daily patterns of the hybrids. Fen and her surveillance equipment proved to be most helpful. It appears that the hybrids don’t reside on the Xathi ship with the queen. Instead, they are kept in camps closely monitored by a handful of Xathi guards.”

  “You really don’t sleep, do you?” Vidia looked at me with a mix of horror and admiration.

  Despite her obvious preparations for the presentation, Vidia seemed more rested than she often did. Perhaps the good news had given her easier sleep.

  Her dark hair looked shinier, and her uniquely hued eyes looked brighter. I’d never seen a human with eyes like hers before, halfway between blue and purple. The humans called the shade violet.