26 Thilar
I stood in that same room, hands clasped behind my back, my body at attention. Naan and Kora quietly spoke amongst themselves before turning to address me. I grounded myself, preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, and accepting whatever fate they deemed worthy.
“Our brief talk with the human was enlightening,” Kora said. “As Yuros reported, she’s quite attached to you.”
“Perhaps unhealthily attached,” Naan added.
“As you are unhealthily attached to her. We both sense it. As do you, I suspect.”
I let out a defeated breath and lowered my eyes.
“But she was quite interesting, despite how underdeveloped her species seems to be. Her emotional capacity, as you said, is advanced, but also quite unmanageable.”
There was a knock on the door behind me and with a nod from Kora, the guards opened it, allowing a valerian man to enter the clerics’ chamber. His gait was proper and practiced, his suit dawning the blue veins of a valerian general.
“This is a peculiar time for you to request an audience. How can we help you, general Vahko?”
Vahko stood beside me in a similar stance, hands behind his back.
“I will have to take my leave soon. I realize the decision about an outpost might take time. I also realize that with your limited knowledge of the humans, it might benefit you to send someone along as an ambassador.”
“One of our people?”
“Yes. Humans know nothing about monrians, yet. And monrians know little about them. I do think it would benefit you both to be introduced to one another.”
“That is something that would need to be discussed with a larger council. Which we don’t currently have.”
“I understand.”
Silence overtook the room for a long and uncomfortable stretch of time. Finally, Kora and Naan leaned into each other and exchanged a few hushed words. Vahko glanced in my direction for only a second and then returned his gaze to the clerics.
“Thank you, general, for your suggestion.”
He inclined his head, backing up a few steps before pivoting on his heels and leaving the room again.
Suddenly, everything felt different. I stood quietly for a long while, mulling over Vahko’s proposal, as Naan and Kora continued to discuss things privately. I watched them eagerly, a spark of hope flickering in the back of my mind. Finally, Naan spoke up, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Let us return to the matter at hand. There was a lot to take into consideration, Tuross. You’ve been an asset to us throughout your career.
As a member of the Tuross bloodline, you are descendent from the most ancient of us.
Your accomplishments have not gone unnoticed.
And Yuros provided quite the report about your unusual behavior. ”
“You’ve been deemed unfit for a unit without reconditioning,” Kora said. “You cannot command a ship again unless you undergo some corrections, both mentally and physically. You’ve broken more than one law pertaining to your pursuit of personal vendettas.”
My jaw clenched at the judgement I already knew I’d receive.
“Your contract, to which you are bound by birth, however, is void upon your death.”
“Which occurred, according to your khof kaar’s records, on solar cycle 3493 in the Ursa quadrant. Up until that point, you were a formidable soldier who made quite the difference.”
“The things you did after death… well,” Naan shrugged. “It is hard to say whether our laws pertain to those actions. Perhaps it has something to do with the flaws in your design. Losing brain function for any period of time might have caused an imbalance in your model.”
They both paused for a moment, leaning over the desk in front of them to input something into the Edda’s records, as they would have in the conclusion of any other meeting of that nature.
“And Vahko has presented a valid recommendation. As it is, we see no other option that suits you best than to send you on a very delicate and specific assignment.”
I braced. “I will accept whatever it is you deem necessary for me.”
“We knew you would,” Kora spoke.
“Now that humans have introduced themselves to the galaxy,” Naan continued.
“It’s only a matter of time before they colonize, migrate, explore, and insert themselves in galactic matters far bigger than their current position.
As monrians, we need to know everything.
We need to understand them. Study them. Build a relationship of some kind early on. ”
“You have already built what seems to be a solid bond with Penelope. Word will spread among her people about how you saved her from a terrible fate, and those kinds of stories build long-lasting reputations that we can take advantage of. It’s a start.”
“So, you will accompany the human back to her people with General Vahko and his mate. You will be our connection to the Nexus through your relationship with Penelope and you will report regularly.”
“We want to know everything. Her behavior. The behavior of others.”
“Their anatomy and biology. Their emotional capacity and their logical capacity. Their languages. Their social dynamics. Their rate of learning and intellectual openness.”
“As much as you can gather.”
“To be their ally, we must learn them. If we should be their enemy. We must learn them better. But that is a future we don’t yet know. For now, study.”
I blinked, my eyes shifting from Naan to Kora, waiting for there to be a catch in there somewhere. A limit on my time with Penny. An ulterior motive that would separate us down the line.
“You are allowing me to remain with Penny?”
They nodded in unison. “The bond you’re experiencing is something we thought was long bred out of us.
We must admit that it is a curiosity to see that bond has formed so potently between the two of you.
Two children of the ancient creator who have never met before.
It’s quite intriguing. And as we all know, knowledge is power.
We should like to see how this all unfolds. ”
The two women stood.
“We will send instruction to Vahko,” Kora said.
“He will need your environmental needs to be logged into his ship as well as your nutritional needs. You will be our direct line of communication until an envoy can be assigned the official task. And by then, I will assume the entire council will consider you a lost cause and assign you permanent duty with the humans. A large portion of our forces will soon be under valerian employ once we send our opinions on the matter to the rest to the council.”
“Things are changing very quickly, Tuross. It is quite something to know you are at the forefront of this generation’s great shift. I suspect your name has already been spread throughout the most recent historical records for future reference.”
“You’ll need to first visit the scribes available here on Edda and recount everything from Mekah up until now.
General Vahko will be departing as soon as our orbit can direct his launch away from Jar’tool, so you have a little time.
You must also visit our medical staff so they can run their tests and find out what exactly went wrong that caused you to form such a unique and compelling bond to a species not our own.
We realize our origins align, but it is still a mystery as to why you reacted so strongly.
Then you will convene with general Vahko.
Now, go. We have a schedule to keep. You are not the only monrian making questionable decisions as of late. ”
I bowed my head. “Understood, clerics. Thank you.”
“Do not thank us. We merely charted the most logical path and to your delight, it aligns with the human. Use this opportunity to do great things for monrians and humans alike.”