Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Mu’ol
I closed my eyes and reached for On’nas, trying to communicate telepathically back to Earth, but I got nothing.
He was thousands of miles away. We had retreated out of the reach of human weapons, to our ship, though we were still close enough to see the planet looming in front of us, all breathtaking blues and greens.
Our method of interstellar travel did not require a ship, but we’d found over the years of interacting with races targeted by the Vul that it was always beneficial to have a place to retreat to.
The hulking structure of our space station had once seemed beautiful to me, but compared to life on Earth, it was too cold and clinical now. Nora stayed with me, adding much-needed warmth, and possibly seeking some of her own as she wrapped me up in her arms and held me close.
Before we even got settled, or to did any of the other things I enjoyed with Nora, the fleet admiral called a contingent of people from the palace to a meeting, including Axel, Nora, and Prince Thrikteols Bhusl’ai An’T’ukka.
“I need a report on the failure of this mission,” the admiral barked as soon as we were all seated. “Why would you flee just as the operation was underway?”
“The Vul undermined the human’s trust in us,” I said, tapping my fingers on the glass conference table. “You did not tell us they were already engaged in an operation here.”
The admiral sputtered, shaking her head. “How could you know that?”
“We have had enough contact with the Vul who are disguised as humans to know it to be true,” I said, not wanting to get On’nas in trouble.
It was surreal being back on the ship, after so many months on Earth with the humans, getting used to the way things looked and smelled.
I glanced at Nora, and she smiled a little, then stood.
“We believe the Aunga’ri need to stay away from conflict with the humans if this is going to work. If we end up in a battle situation, showing your military might, things will only escalate, and both species will face tremendous losses, leaving the Vul to scoop up what’s left.”
“Ridiculous. We could just issue threats, and the humans will back down.” The admiral folded her hands together, staring Nora down.
“The goal here is to find a way for humans and Aunga’ri to live peacefully.
Or have we been lied to?” Nora’s voice got more stern, and I found myself a little aroused by the way she was confronting the admiral.
“We cannot live peacefully if you are an occupying force. Only if you present yourselves as allies.”
“I agree,” T’ukka said. “The humans must remain free people. It is one of our dictates within the expansion policy.”
“I still want to know why we weren’t made aware of the Vul presence. Axel and Nora were endangered when they turned up at a human meeting,” I said.
“We were not aware of…”
“Bullshit,” I snapped, sort of enjoying the human expression.
Nora glanced at me and a smile flashed over her mouth.
“You have stationed at least one member of the Red Guard with our troops. You would not have done that unless you knew.” I turned towards Admiral Yan’oins Eriers and tried to intimidate her with my posture.
The admiral pursed her lips, smiling at me. “I can see how you’re reacting now. Imagine how you would have reacted back then.”
“The separation of the Red Guard from the general Aunga’ri population needs to end.
We need access to their intelligence,” I said.
The admiral shot me a look that told me I’d responded more like a human than an Aunga’ri.
The admiral wouldn’t be concerned about On’nas’s safety, so there was no need to bring that up.
Members of the Red Guard were not known for their long life expectancies.
“What else do you have to report?” the admiral asked.
I glanced at Nora and nodded, and she pulled out our second report, taking a deep breath and standing.
“The Aunga’ri envoy to Earth have shown that they can successfully interact with humans, but the human contingent who was at the palace with them feels your people would benefit from being more integrated into human society.
There are prejudices and fear to overcome, and that can only come from direct interaction.
” She passed out some human papers with charts and graphs on them.
I knew she had brought them in case there was a problem with showing her data on our technology, but I watched the admiral’s upper lip curl at the use of such a primitive communication method.
“The general public remains suspicious, while those who work directly with your people are fond of them, and have formed emotional attachments, friendships, etcetera.”
“Etcetera?” the admiral asked, lifting the sheet up and trying to read it upside-down. Nora reached over and flipped it in his hand, which should have been an affront, but the commander said nothing.
“There have also been romantic attachments,” she said noncommittally.
“Because these attachments are such a key part of human culture, I recommended to the commander that he allow select members of his staff to explore them further. And we’ve found that deep and meaningful bonds have formed for all parties involved. ”
I narrowed my eyes at her, because this was quite a leap of faith.
I glanced at Prince Thrikteols Bhusl’ai, who was smirking just a little, but said nothing.
He was no longer unhappy with the decision I’d made to have him be the first of my staff to explore the boundaries of human sexuality.
That I knew for sure, and I could see his bond with his humans more plainly now that I had a bond of my own.
The admiral was quiet for a moment as he read her report, and then he lifted his head.
“So, all humans who returned to the command ship with you have a special bond with an Aunga’ri? Either as friends or as… more?”
“Yes,” I said.
“The humans claim you took them as hostages,” the Admiral said. “Or that you have them brainwashed.”
“We will prepare a statement from the humans who left with the Aunga’ri,” Nora said, frowning. “We are all here of our own free will, because we believe in what you’re here to accomplish.”
“Why would you believe in our goals over the Vul?” one of the Admiral’s underlings asked. “There’s no reason for a human to think an Aunga’ri is any more trustworthy than any other alien species, is there?”
Everyone’s attention swung to Nora, and she winced, glancing at me.
Silently, I tried to urge her not to do what I was sure she was about to do.
“We have the Bhesai Ker’el,” she said. “I may not trust you, admiral, but I trust the commander implicitly. I can feel him, and I know what he’s thinking.
It’s intense, but it doesn’t leave room for doubt.
” She glanced at me and smirked. “For example, right now, he’s pretty damn pissed off that I mentioned that. ”
The commander stiffened. “That’s just a myth.”
Prince Thrikteols Bhusl’ai shifted in his chair, moving into a more intimidating stance, his arms crossed across his massive chest. “It is not a myth. I have experienced it with my human companions as well,” he said firmly. He glanced at Axel, who nodded.
“The challenge will be to get humans who have not experienced this kind of bond to have the trust that we do. Many will fear we’re brainwashed,” Axel said.
“And considering what I just did on the shuttle, I do sometimes wonder if maybe I am?” His eyes twinkled with humor, and the prince laughed, punching him lightly on the shoulder.
Axel cleared his throat and focused back on the admiral.
“But I love him dearly, and I trust him.”
“How do humans celebrate this love?” Doctor Vralziks Yes’niet spoke up. She had remained quiet in the background, and rarely spoke at meetings like this. But when she did, she had good ideas. “There is a ceremony, right? Perhaps we need to host a ceremony.”
“A wedding?” Nora looked panicked enough that it was slightly insulting, but as she glanced at me, I only heard one word in her mind. On’nas.
“We cannot. Our triad is one short,” I said. “Because of your separate orders for the Red Guard.”
“We’ll do it,” Axel said firmly, glancing at his woman, who nodded. He took a slow breath, a slight panic creeping into his eyes, but Mia leaned over and rubbed his hand.
“Why do we need a ceremony? They can’t live without my cock.” The prince leaned back in his chair, looking a little smug, and Axel punched his shoulder.