Chapter 14
Oh Goodie
Hannah.
I came to hoping someone got the licence plate of the truck that ran me over, and reversed, and ran over me again.
I groaned and turned my head and opened my eyes.
I saw a thin green curtain and the outline of a round window behind it.
I blinked my eyes a few times and groaned as my memory returned to me.
I am on an alien planet, Billie has a terrifying giant King Cobra as her sponsor (but she’s fine with that, apparently) and Ambassador Rerasha made a ragdoll of me.
I hissed and reached up to touch my head, wincing at how sore it felt.
Scrambled brains anyone? I parted my hair at the back of my head and felt a thin line of sutures.
It must have looked worse than it was. Otherwise I’d be bandaged up from head surgery or something, right?
I lifted both hands up to look at them and didn’t even see an IV.
Movement to my right startled me into sinking down in the bed and blink with alarm at the biggest mother fucking snake I have ever seen. My eyes widned and my lips parted.
“I am Peacekeeper Tumva of the 21st Pit.” He spoke with deep voice that would put most bass jazz singers to shame.
His voice even seemed to vibrate when he spoke, it was so low.
“I don’t know if you remember me, but I caught you when you passed out in the Grand Palace.
” He bowed his head to me and I am ashamed to say I was staring at him with my eyes wide and my inside voice screeching.
I’ve not seen that many Ucfeni, I know, but this guy looked like a living nightmare.
Glossy black scales, eyes of living shadow with no visible pupils, and as big a frame as Prince Izule.
Who, you know, seemed like a fluffy kitten in comparison to this guy.
He lifted up from the chaise he’d been chilling on and damn, he seemed to be even more muscular than Izule too.
Wide shoulders, ridiculously dense muscles beneath his scales that flexed with his every movement, and hands that looked strong enough to snap bone came to rest on the edge of my bed.
“That incident occurred yesterday. You slept all day and night. It is now the afternoon of the following day. The doctor came around an hour ago.” He inclined his head, and I couldn’t stop staring.
His mouth didn’t move very much and yet his deep voice rumbled down at me through his scaly lips.
He didn’t have a hood like Izule, yet he still seemed so much bigger to me.
“You suffered blood loss, but your own medical professionals infused you with more blood and fluids. Your skull was not damaged, nor your brain beneath.”
“Oh goodie.” My mouth ran away with me. It always did when I didn’t have to reign it in for Billie.
“Well that’s alright then, since I’m not going to be a vegetable.
I suppose that makes everything alright then, does it?
” I seethed and dragged myself up to sit back against the wall.
“Your Ambassador manhandled me, including my throat so I was struggling to breathe, scared me shitless, and dropped me so my head felt like it had split open, but because there’s no permanent damage it’s all good.
Is it?” I wondered if it was a good idea to lose my temper with the black Ucfeni when he blinked slowly at me.
“He only dropped you after you kicked him in the pouch.” I heard an edge of amusement that lessened my frazzled nerves considerably. “And rather hard too.”
“Damn fucking right I did.” He pursed his lips together and snorted once, before he cleared his throat to regain his aloof cool.
“And since you’re a peacekeeper, I’d like to press charges.
” I fisted at the bedsheet with both hands as I leaned towards him and my long black hair swung forward.
“He put his hands and tail on me without provocation. I was talking to another Ucfeni when he grabbed me.” Peacekeeper Tumva folded his arms over his chest and turned to sit on the chaise in a way that looked almost human.
If it wasn’t for the bulk of his tail circling the bed I currently, and secretly, cowered in.
“You want to press charges against the Ambassador, who extracted you from the presence of a Royal who had already warned you to leave his presence, for your own safety?”
“He had my sister.” I seethed.
“As his charge.” He countered.
“I didn’t know that at the time.” I replied defensively and folded my arms.
“I have reviewed the footage as part of the response team that came to your emergency call.” He pointed at my communication gem and even his hands were completely black.
“You were defying our cultural norms and the expected rules of interaction with our monarchy. Ambassador Rerasha acted only to keep you safe from the wrath you were going to force Prince Izule to deliver.” Every ‘you’ he spoke seemed to hit me in the gut.
“You were only being removed from danger, when you attached Rerasha.”
“I attacked him?!” I screeched and raised a hand to point at this jerk. This was bullshit, and I wasn’t going to accept this crap.
“You started to scratch and attempted to bite his scales. Ucfeni are highly susceptible to infection, and therefore this was viewed as a very serious attempt to harm the Ambassador.” My mouth shut.
I did remember A, doing all of that, and B, a conversation with Charlie about their eagerness to share Thelia with us in exchange for medicine because of their risk of infection.
“He restrained you as an act of self defence, but then you proceeded to call not only the nearest Peacekeeper Pit, but also kicked him in the pouch. Your most serious injury was caused by an accident. If anything, Rerasha has plenty of grounds to press charges against you.”
I glared at him for a long minute before I grabbed the pillow from behind me and pressed it to my face.
I screamed, long and hard, to vent my frustrations.
It was utter bullshit. He put his hands on me first, and everything I did was because I felt like I was in danger, but they clearly didn’t see it that way.
I only emerged from the pillow when I heard him snort a chuckle again.
“That is a load of crap.” I threw the pillow down onto my lap and narrowed by dark brown eyes on him. “But I get the sense that there is very little point trying to push it, so is Rerasha pressing charges?”
“No.” Well at least that was something. I didn’t fancy my chances in whatever the Ucfeni version of a judicial system was. I mean, they clearly had one. They had a government and peacekeepers.
“Why are you here then?” I shrugged and returned the pillow to cushion my back against the wall. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if no one is pressing charges, what business does a peacekeeper have with me?”
“That is the right question.” He smirked and I felt a chill go down my spine. He was so hard to read with no visible pupils in his black eyes. “You only arrived on Thelia yesterday. Is that correct?”
“Yes sir.” I nodded. My parents, God rest their souls, raised me to have a healthy respect for law enforcement. I doubt that changed just because this officer had scales.
“So you know very little of Ucfeni and our culture.” He returned his hands to rest on the edge of my bed.
His bottomless eyes held me still. Could Ucfeni hypnotise people?
If they could, I felt he was giving it a good go.
“Part of the alliance between my people and yours, is the deployment of a co-species peacekeeper task force. Therefore, all Ucfeni officers undergo sponsorship training, so they are able to correctly interact with, and care for, their human partner. Normally the human has already been through the probationary sponsorship before becoming employed by the peacekeeper force.” I nodded, remembering a set of responders at the Grand Palace in black Kevlar armour.
Humans and Ucfeni officers. I even remembered Tumva, now I thought about it.
“You are in quite the situation Miss Blac.” That got my full attention. Was I still in trouble?
“What do you mean?”
“You legally have to have a Sponsor. The pairing party yesterday should have resulted in this, but due to the incident, it did not.” He flicked his tongue out at me and hummed, before continuing.
“Once you are discharged you will be sent to the human complex outside of Orna territory. This will mean you are unable to socialise with your sister once her probationary period is over.”
“Shit.” I hadn’t thought of that. “I need a sponsor. When will the next-”
“I require a human partner.” He cut me off before I could ask about the next paring party.
“I am unsure if you are aware?” He shifted on his tail and folded his muscly arms over his chest. “But Ucfeni are very sensitive to pheromone signatures. The reason for the pairing party is for a potential sponsor to check your scent before agreeing to be your sponsor. None of my previous human partners have been compatible.” I realised where this was going and narrowed my eyes on him.
“But I’m guessing you’re about to say I don’t smell all that bad?”
“Indeed.” His deep voice rumbled and he nodded to me.
“I saw potential in you and you have the kind of resilience that would serve you well as a peacekeeper. You would be sponsored by me, but also under an apprenticeship. Upon completion of your term with me, you will be a qualified peacekeeper in your own right.”
“…an officer?” I was stunned. I had never considered being a policewoman back on Earth.
After all? I had to get a job as soon as possible to support me and Billie.
Mainly to support her education once our parents passed away.
“Erm, before I came here I used to work in a café. I place where we served coffee and cake. Sorry to break it to you, but I have zero experience outside of that.”