Chapter 49 #2
Hattie turned, surprised to hear Tuvo speak up. She and the secretary general had been speaking so fast, sometimes over each other, that she was surprised that he was able to understand what they were talking about.
His hand slid around from her back to her waist, clutching her close, but his harsh glare was on Secretary General Lie.
“What did you say to me?” Lie asked, his voice calm and dangerous.
“Said no.” Tuvo wasn’t afraid of him at all. “You are protectorate now. Sovereign, yes, but not full. We look after as well.”
His Excellency didn’t look at all pleased to be told that. It took him a moment to force his tightened jaw apart to speak.
“We agreed to accept your protection from outside threats. In exchange for trade and mates. We said nothing about you telling us how to police our people.”
“Would have to police to be told how,” he sneered.
Secretary General Lie’s face turned purple from anger. A change that made Romival make a curious sound. Hattie had to bite back a laugh.
“No sorry from us,” Tuvo continued. “Did right. Would do again. Will do again.”
“If you come onto our planet threatening the lives of humans on human soil, we will dissolve this treaty and consider it grounds for war.”
“Are you stupid?” Hattie’s incredulous question surprised everyone – including her. She rolled her lips inward, biting them as her words echoed in the empty room.
“What did you just say to me?”
Tuvo’s hand tightened on her hips, squeezing encouragingly. She took a breath before lifting her head and trying to explain her thoughts a bit more politely.
“You’re just talking,” she said, realizing as she said it that it was true. “You don’t mean what you say. You’re feeling weak and helpless and you’re lashing out in response, trying to get back some sense of power in any small way you can.”
Just like Keith. Only worse, because Halvdan Lie was a powerful male accustomed to getting his way and people doing as he said. The idea of aliens doing anything he didn’t approve of was terrifying because it meant that he wasn’t as in control as he wanted to be.
And so, he lashed out the only way he could.
By threatening war with an intergalactic superpower that could destroy them without ever putting boots on the ground.
And he had to know that.
“These people are our allies,” Hattie said, speaking gently to try to calm him down. “The only thing they want is to protect us. To help us. The Three Rings were the worst scum imaginable. I don’t have to tell you that, and I’m sure you would agree.”
“Of course,” he admitted, growling through his teeth like he hated the fact that she was easing his temper. “But they were still human. Their punishment should be from humans.”
“But humans aren’t just humans anymore. We’re not the only people now.
These are people too, and they care about us as fellow sapient creatures.
You can’t think about this as ‘us’ and ‘them’.
We’re all people. And they’re not trying to flaunt your authority over Earth.
They were only trying to help friends, fellow people, any way they could.
Could any of us say that we wouldn’t do something bad to protect those important to us? ”
The Secretary General was still glaring at her, but there was a wall in his gaze. An annoyance that came from knowing she was right and hating it.
“Wouldn’t it be better, Secretary General, if we worked with them? If we banded together to change our world? Make it a better place?”
“Naturally,” he agreed, something coming back into his gaze. She didn’t have to hint at anything more than that, he already understood.
He could take back power by threatening war against a species he had no way of fighting.
Or he could take it back by working with them.
After all, the easiest way to lose control of something was to surrender it. If he maintained that control, however, he would have some say in how things were run. How they were regulated and operated.
“We can find a way to work together, can’t we?
” She asked, smiling sweetly, trying to give him her biggest doe eyes.
“Just think how good that will look. Human lead alien special forces dedicated to helping remove the scum of the Earth, thanks to the efforts of his Excellency, Secretary General of the United Nations.”
Was she laying it on too thick?
Keith hadn’t just taught her about the lengths that a helpless man would go to in order to not feel helpless. He had also taught her exactly how to cater to those fragile egos. How to phrase things so that it sounded best to them.
But maybe she was being a little too obvious?
Before she could reel it in a bit, Lie’s tension began to fade as a grin pulled at his lips.
She could practically see the press releases in his head.
It wouldn’t take much to spin it so that Tuvo and the others moved on the Three Rings with Earth’s full permission.
And now a whole human trafficking ring was dismantled, and he could take credit for that.
If he played his cards right and got this pride flare under control.
“Yes, that could…” His approving, almost dreamy look sharpened on her again. “But this can’t happen without permission again. We’re willing to work with the aliens. For the good of humanity. But Earth is still its own, sovereign planet.”
“Of course,” Hattie beamed, unconcerned. He had already agreed. She had him.
Survii, not the kind to let that kind of opportunity slip by, stepped forward to press his advantage to get a formal agreement immediately.
Hattie happily faded into the background as she acted as a translator.
Tuvo didn’t let her go. He remained stalwart by her side as they worked out a deal with his Excellency, finally putting the alien police force into motion.
***
Bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet, Hattie waited in the landing shuttle loading bay. She gnawed on her lower lip, trying and failing to keep her excitement under control.
How could she possibly be calm when her parents would be here soon?
“Calm yourself, kyrya. You’re getting too worked up.”
Tuvo’s hand was there, spanning across the entirety of her back as he gently rubbed.
“I can’t help it! I’m so happy!” She turned to him, practically vibrating with joy.
Her parents had finally got all their affairs in order. They bought and packed everything they wanted to bring with them and sold or gave away the rest. Now, a member of the new embassy team was going to get them.
Technically, her parents were the first legal human immigrants of Earth. They were kind of the guinea pigs going through the bare bones process being put in place. Part of that involved embassy workers going to get them.
The new domini ambassador to Earth had arrived just two days ago, and she was personally overseeing their immigration datawork. Partially to learn their own process, partially to make sure the process worked, and partially for the sake of history.
Hattie and the girls might be the first humans to be made citizens of the Coalition, but her parents were the first ones to make that choice. To do it properly.
So now, she was just waiting for the landing shuttle to return.
Tuvo had prepared a room for them in their wing of the Stor.
They were going to have a family dinner tonight so she could, finally, introduce them to her mate.
They knew that Tuvo had claimed her, she had told them over comm when she asked them to come with her, but they hadn’t actually met him.
Today was going to be wonderful!
This morning, the girls had surprised her with a spa day. They had spent hours being primped and polished and dressed up for the sheer fun of it. Since she was going to be having a proper family dinner later, she thought it was a good chance to make herself look good.
As a result, her skin was now glowing, sparkling, with health and care. Her hair had been set into neat, perfect ringlets and the top pulled back into elaborate hair roses decorated with shining gems and a pretty, silver ribbon.
The dress was new – a gift from Tuvo. He was making good on his promise to give her lots of clothes, with the understanding that anything he bought her, he could rip off her.
She was excited for him to shred this dress, though it would be a shame.
The off shoulder design had an empire waistline with a long, trailing silver ribbon tied around her waist while the skirt swirled around her thighs.
The deep, dark blue brought out the new tan in her skin after so long in the .
Sparkling silver heels had straps all the way up her calves, ending with cute bows at her knees, with more trailing ribbons.
She felt like a princess. Tuvo had great taste for a guy. Then again, this dress seemed to serve up her breasts like a feast for the eyes, so maybe that was really all he cared about. Regardless, she looked and felt great, and she couldn’t wait for dinner with her parents.
To her surprise, Tuvo had dressed up as well.
He was wearing his formal military uniform – a hard lined camocloth that matched him perfectly to his surroundings.
It squared his shoulders and clung tight to his trim waist. He looked delicious.
She wanted to cover him in chocolate sauce and lick him clean all over again.
Soon, she promised herself. Dinner before dessert.
“I know you’re excited,” Tuvo said, looking at her carefully. “I’m just worried about the pup.”
Hattie stilled.
It was the first time he had mentioned their daughter like this. In a hopeful, happy tone. Like he might really be more excited for the baby than afraid for Hattie.
In a way, their daughter almost didn’t feel real to Hattie either. She was so early in her pregnancy, none of the transplanted domini gestational instincts had even hit yet. If she was relying on human pregnancy tests, she might not even know she was pregnant.