by Lily Thomas
Adira shook her head.
"Speak when you are spoken to." His voice whipped out.
"I have no idea why I saved them." Was she really being punished for saving the other children?
"I thought you were the one." His voice dripped with disappointment, and she felt the sting of embarrassment. There was nothing more important to her than his approval. All her life, it was all she strived for.
"I'm sorry." She pleaded.
"Perhaps that's why you saved the other children. Did you feel pity for them?"
"Yes." Adira nodded her head. She hadn't wanted to leave the others to die.
"The only person you should care about is yourself. You'll learn that soon enough."
She heard footsteps approach her.
Hands came out of nowhere and grabbed onto her hand, he took hold of one of her fingers. Snap.
Adira let out a pained scream, as pain radiated up her arm. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"For every child you saved," he snapped another finger, "a bone in your body will be broken."
He moved on to the rest of her small fingers. Hot tears tracked down her cheeks, her voice long gone from her piercing screams.
Adira bolted upright in bed, sweat beading her brow.
"What's wrong?" Rak sat up and gathered her into his arms.
"Nothing. It's nothing." She tried to pull away from the comfort of his arms. He'd always been there for her nightmares. For the past few days, her nightmares had been plaguing her without mercy.
"Tell me. You still have yet to divulge all your past to me, and I know it weighs on you." His fingers cupped her chin and turned her to face him. His eyes searched her face.
"Just nightmares about the chief, the man in charge of the experiments. He was a ruthless man, and I've only just come to realize that nothing I did would have ever pleased him. In the past, I never knew what he expected or wanted from me."
"Perhaps he never intended for you to succeed."
Adira nodded.
"I wish I could do something about those nightmares for you."
"As do I. Unfortunately, I think they are just something I will have to overcome with time."
Rak placed a tender kiss on her lips. "I'll shower you in love and in no time, you will forget about those punishments and learn what life can be about."
"These nightmares are probably plaguing me because of our meeting with the councilors tomorrow.” She rubbed her eyes of sleep. “They could either sentence me to death or accept me as a citizen of the Sri'thaen government."
"They will accept you."
"And if they don't?" Adira wanted to be positive, but the chief had trained her to think about the worst-case scenario and prepare for it.
"You've been on our planet for about a week, and you haven't been killed. You've even been out to see the city we are in, and I can't remember anyone giving us problems."
"That is true." Adira settled back down to snuggle into his arms. Perhaps the chief had been a blessing for her. Without him, she wouldn't be ready to be a part of a warrior species that valued strength and cunning.
They walked through the city. It was beautiful, and nothing like Adira had ever experienced before. Every time they stepped out, their city dazzled her after growing up in a dreary metal government facility. The Sri'thaens loved organic shapes in their architecture, using the environment around them as their key.
The Sri'thaens they passed would stop and stare at her, but never once did she feel threatened by any of them, just curiosity.
"How are you doing?"
"Nervous." Adira smoothed out the white fabric covering her frame.
"No matter their decision I will give my life to keep you safe."
"Thank you, but I think I can handle myself. This is my chance to break away from the chief. I need it to work." She winked at him, and he smiled at her. "What should I expect?"
Rak shrugged his massive shoulders. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I will assume a lot of questions and a lot of deliberating on how you can benefit us."
They came up to a building made out of pure white stone with black lines running down it. It reminded her of their backs with the black lines running down either side of their spine.
As they made their way up the steps, she felt her heart putter in her chest. This was almost the moment of truth. Could the Sri'thaens accept her after declaring war on her people? It would go against their ruling of killing all humans.
They entered the building, and she was shocked by the inside. While the outside was pure white, the inside was an array of blacks, reds, and golds. It was wonderfully decorated and made her stare at it in awe.
Adira glanced over at Rak who was wearing his formal general outfit. He was decked out in black fabric, with a few highlights of gold around the wrist, hems, and collar. He was so damn handsome.
"Imagining me naked?" His voice broke her out of her trance.
"You wish." She strode forward with him following by her side.
"Just remember to answer honestly, and I will be there by your side."
Adira nodded. "I'm not sure who is more afraid of this, you or me."
Rak let out a bellow of laughter. "Probably me."
They entered a chamber where about twenty councilors sat before them on a stand slightly raised up in the air. Several armed guards had been positioned between her and the councilors.
It made sense. The serum had worn off days ago, and they knew how dangerous she could be.
Rak moved off to the side, leaving her to face the Sri'thaen council.
Adira stayed silent as Rak had previously advised her. As a human, she didn't want to come off as too forward or too presumptuous.
A councilor stood, a woman. Her pointed ears poked through the soft blonde hair on her head. "Why join us and betray your people?"
Right to it then. Adira could respect that. She was a firm believer that chit-chat was useless. "If you lived the childhood I endured, you would want nothing to do with them either." She went into some of the worst stories she could come up with. As she spoke, she watched some of the councilors exchange glances. The chief was violent even by Sri'thaen standards.
"It sounds like it was just the chief that did this to you. My question still stands, why betray all humans?" The woman asked.
"For not having control over what their government does."
That got all the Sri'thaens talking.
"Thank you." The Sri'thaen woman took a seat.
Another councilor rose, his bald head making his double pointed ears stick out prominently. "How do you feel about the destruction of the human colonies?"
Rak had reminded her to be honest so she would be. "I regret the loss of life because of their stupidity to plan ahead, but they were warned and given the opportunity to leave."
The councilor nodded his head, as his lips pursed. He sat back down.
She wasn't sure whether or not he liked her answer, but she couldn't take it back.
The questioning went on for a couple of hours. Sometimes the councilors would repeat their questions to see if her answers would change.
A councilor rose from his seat. "I want to see these modifications in action."
"I can help to demonstrate." Rak volunteered.
"No!" The councilor barked. "I have already chosen a soldier for her to fight. I want an honest demonstration of her abilities."
Adira didn't look over at Rak. She didn't want to appear timid, seeking strength and reassurance from Rak. "I will fight him."
"Good." The councilor sat down.
A door opened and in strode a Sri'thaen man. He had an impressive physique that would rival Rakshasas. This would be exciting, but she didn't fear the upcoming fight. There were certain things she could credit the chief for, like the fact that she was going to kick some Sri'thaen ass all over this chamber.
They circled each other, getting right into the fight. It would be hand to hand combat, and she assumed it wasn't to the death, but she'd
be ready for any twists they threw her way.
The Sri'thaen lunged towards her, she dodged by slipping behind him and letting an elbow go, knocking him in the back of the head before dancing away from him.
Her opponent let out a growl, and one of his hands whipped out, grabbed her wrist and twisted.
She let out a scream as the bones in her wrist popped. Her other fist whipped out and went for his eye. She got a direct hit and sent him reeling back. He looked shocked, but she didn't give him time to recover.
Adira moved in and launched a fist at his throat. The Sri'thaen blocked the hit with an arm and then strong-armed her, sending her flying to the ground.
He was on her in a second. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rak twitch, but he managed to stay by the wall. Good! She didn't need help. She had this guy.
He tried to pummel her face, but she raised her arms to protect her face. He could beat on her arms all he liked. They were reinforced with metal. When he slowed to see what damage he’d delivered, Adira's head shot up cracking against his nose.
Blood spattered over her face, and he went down, she wrapped her arm around his neck from behind and didn't let go until he passed out.
Breathing hard she relaxed the moment he went still. After regaining her breath, she stood.
The councilors had their heads pressed together. She hoped it had been impressive enough. She had taken out a Sri'thaen male on her own. Adira checked her wrist, and it was already being healed.
The councilors turned towards her.
"What would your first mission for us be?"
"To kill the chief and destroy the facility where they make modified soldiers." It would be her pleasure to kill the chief.
"So be it. Complete that mission successfully, and you will become a Sri'thaen citizen."
Chapter 13
"We're approaching the facility," Alleg announced from his seat at the pilot's chair.
Adira's heart rate spiked as she examined the space suit she was putting on.
"Are you doing alright?" Rakshasas came up beside her, his helmet already on, probably able to see her vital signs on his helmet screen.
"I'm doing alright."
"You'll have a heart attack human." Auech criticized from nearby.
Adira glared up at her from where she sat. "Why'd you come along again?"
"Because all of you are idiots and I will need to heal you people when you do something stupid because you will do something stupid." Auech crossed her arms over her chest.
Rak scoffed and went to sit by Alleg.
"Be careful human and don't take any chances. Rak won't let you get hurt, and we don't need our best general getting killed."
"I'm sure he can handle himself."
"Unless you do something stupid that gets him killed."
Adira shook her head. They would never become friends, which was fine by her. She'd never had a friend, and she didn't need to start collecting them now. Friends were just a weakness she didn’t need.
Rak strode over to them and pushed Auech up against a wall.
“What are you doing?” Adira rose from her seat.
“I just learned from Alleg you’re the one sending information to the council.”
Auech glared at him.
“Speak woman!” Rak shook her.
“The human was a concern. You were acting like a lovesick fool around her. I couldn’t let you ruin your life.”
“You mean you didn’t want to see me pick a human over you.” He turned her around and cuffed her hands behind her back before throwing her into the back of the shuttle. Turning to a console, he threw up a force field. “I’ll figure out what to do with you when we’re done.”
Adira smiled to herself as she slipped on her helmet and twisted it into place. Auech may not like her, but at least she wasn’t the one behind a force field.
"Come stand with me by the hatch. The moment we make contact with the facility you and I will need to move quickly. Auech will remain here where she can’t do any more harm, and Alleg will join us."
Standing by Rak, she drew her plasma gun and prepared herself. Data pulled up on her screen.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
They attached to the hatch, and Rak opened it. They filed in with Alleg trailing behind them. Once in the facility corridors, he began to protect their backs.
"You've been here before, so I'll let you lead the way. We want to kill the chief and blow the facility up." Rak reminded her.
"Got it." She marched down the halls. "I'll take us to the power room first. It will be the best place to set up explosives."
She guided them down the long metal corridors. Memories tried to surface and choke her, but she pushed them away. Now was not the time for any flashbacks. The chief wouldn’t win this battle. She had to overcome her fear.
The lights went out as an alarm sounded, and red light flooded the dark corridors.
"They know we're on board," Alleg commented through their helmet speakers.
As they got to a juncture in the corridor, she peered around the corner, and a shot sizzled past her helmet.
Rak grabbed onto her suit's collar and pulled her back.
"Let me handle this."
"Really?" She arched a brow but knew he couldn't see it past her helmet's screen.
"Not now, Adira!" Rak took some blind shots around the corner. Shots fired back at them.
"Oh please." Adira stepped out before Rak could stop her. She aimed and with the help of her targeting sensors on her helmet easily took out the opponents as they popped out.
It fell quiet.
Rak grabbed her arm. "Can you try not to get yourself killed?"
"Stop wasting time." Adira shook off his arm and continued down the hall. She had to finish this before she chickened out. She'd been raised to fear the chief, and it was something that was hard to shake after so many years, but she was an adult now.
She paused in front of a door. "This is the power room. There could be a few guards in here."
Rak and Alleg prepared themselves and then nodded as they approached the door. Adira let them lead the way. He was right. She should make sure she stayed alive long enough to kill the chief. None of these guards was her primary target. She'd let Rak and Alleg take them out.
A couple of scientists turned to face them.
"Get down on the floor! Hands on your heads!"
She didn't see any guards though.
Alleg planted the explosives as Rak monitored the scientists laying on the floor.
"All done and already counting down, so let's get on the move before we die with them all."
"Follow me. If the chief is still on this space station, then he will be in his office."
Adira led the way out of the power room and down a couple of corridors. Rak and Alleg followed closely on her heels. They made it to the long corridor surprisingly easily. The same corridor that would lead them to the chief's office.
"I feel like this is too easy."
"Should we be worried?" Rak asked. "You know them better."
"I'm not sure. Let's just take it slow.”
They made it all the way down the corridor without any issues. Adira sucked in a calming breath as she prepared herself for what might be on the other side of the door. It was time for her to face her one true fear.
She stepped forward, the door slid open, and there sat the chief on his desk.
"I've been waiting for you."
Her heart stuttered in her chest. The door snapped shut behind her, shutting out Rak and Alleg. She couldn't even hear them, and she would assume Rak was hollering up a storm.
"You knew it was me?"
"You’re the only one who would know our location.” The chief’s icy blue eyes pierced her. “You’ve brought some friends."
"I have."
"Sri'thaen friends. I thought I taught you better than this."
"All you taught me was fear and hatred. Thanks to the Sri'thaens I've come to face
my fears.”
He tisked and shook his finger at her. "Until they kill you in your sleep."
"You scared me more than they ever can. And if they decide to come for my head, you've prepared me."
He shook his head sadly, like a father with a wayward child.
Adira leveled her plasma gun at him, but he leaped up from his relaxed position on his desk, knocking her gun from her grasp. He wrapped his hands around her neck, choking her.
She raised a knee and nailed him in the groin. "I'm not afraid of you anymore."
He let out a grunt, and his hands loosened enough for her to escape his grasp. She darted over to where her plasma gun had fallen on the floor, but he grabbed onto her ankle, yanking her back.
"Then you've finally passed. I'm proud of you."
She turned and punched him in the face. The chief laughed and returned the punch in kind. Her head snapped back, and her eyes widened.
"You underwent the procedures?" Adira faced him.
"I was the first one to undergo the procedure, and you were the second to survive. Never trust the people around you."
He went for her throat again, and she raised her arms blocking him, and then punched him in the throat. He reared back, and she scrambled out from under him, grabbed her gun, flipped over and paused.
Where the hell was he?
He’d disappeared, probably into a hidden doorway.
“No!” She screamed until her throat felt raw.
She took a second and then rose to her feet. They’d set explosives that couldn’t be deactivated. She’d have no time to find him.
She opened the door.
"Are you alright?" Rak peered behind her, into the room. "Where is the chief?"
"Gone."
“Gone?”
“He escaped me.” She growled.
"Are you okay?" His gray eyes searched her face, but she knew her helmet blocked the way.
"I'm fine."
"Hate to ruin the touching moment, but we should really get out of here before we're blown to bits," Alleg stated.
"Come." Rak led the way back to the shuttle.