26. Bikar
BIKAR
With my morning ablutions complete, I meander back to the helm room.
Slavic’s messages have been getting more and more terse over the last couple of rotations, so I suppose it is time to reply to him, lest he lose all patience and force a boarding.
Opening my comms, I send a ping over to the Zenith and lean back in my chair, awaiting a reply.
Smirking, I quirk an eyebrow and, just to vex him, deliberately ignore what he said.
“Slavic! It is good to see you, brother. Yes, the wooing of my mate is going rather well. Thank you for asking. I sent Murgul a direct message thanking him for his help separating Bambi from our mam and all your mates. Masterfully done, that.”
A muffled chuff echoes across the connection; Murgul must be within hearing range of the helm room comm. Slavic’s grim face becomes thunderous as he growls at me, his modicum of patience failing him already.
“Bikar, so help me gods of Ruk, if you do not cease your prattling…” His words end on an ominous note, and since I am rather fond of Ruby, having him die from some sort of infarction would be less than desirable.
Ruby is also just as formidable as Heather—she just happens to be nicer when she threatens you.
“Ah, yes! What was it that we were discussing?”
“BIKAR!”
Wincing at the volume of his bellow, I adjust the audio output down several notches before continuing.
“Sheesh, no need to yell, Slavic. You know, you should really have Einar assess the twitch in your left eye. It’s rather concerning.
” Rolling my eyes at his low growl, I get to the actual report.
“From what I have ascertained, Viri 9 is wholly under the control of the Ruks that did not escape the planet. There is no trace of a living Aynar anywhere that I can find.”
I can almost hear the sound Slavic’s heavy body makes as he slumps back in the captain’s chair, scrubbing a hand back and forth across his bald scalp.
“Thank the gods. I have been deeply conflicted in our decision to return to Viri 9.” A flash of red flits across the screen as Ruby crawls into his lap, offering comfort the best way she can.
Flashing a censuring look my way, she rolls her eyes. “He’s telling the truth. The big lug has hardly slept at all, despite my very best efforts to wear him out. Guess I’ll just have to try harder.”
“Ruby!”
Dark color sweeps up Slavic’s neck, and I lean closer to watch the spectacle that is my eldest brother's embarrassment.
“Slavic, do I detect a blush, brother?”
“NO!”
Slavic gets to his feet with Ruby in his arms, ignoring her delighted shriek of laughter, and storms from the room—muttering the entire time. Just before the door, he calls out. “Einar, fill me in on whatever else this fracker has to say.”
Deep rumbling laughter preludes Einar’s homely face filling the screen. “Bikar, I hope you are well?”
Offering him an earnest smile, I nod. “Yes, all is well with me. Before you ask, no. I am not suffering from any symptoms of mating sickness. I have been monitoring myself closely in case complications arise.”
“Really? Hmmm…”
Ignoring his speculation, I dive back into the matter at hand.
“I have hacked, reviewed, and stored every shred of information available from Viri 9 in the last rotation, since we are finally close enough to perform long-distance reconnaissance. It appears there is a council of sorts that makes decisions for the collective population. It is oligarchical in nature, not a monarchy. Very different from the structure most were raised in on Uzrul.”
Ruarc’s rough voice cuts in as he leans around Einar’s shoulder, his bald head gleaming in the light, purple eyes blazing. “That is not very hard to believe. From what Kallen and mam have said, our people suffer greatly under the King of Uzrul. They would be wise to reject that form of society.”
“It is a relief to hear, nonetheless,” Kallen states from off-screen, her voice rough with the weight of a lifetime of responsibility.
Then, a low chime catches my attention. Looking at the corner of my screen, I see a message from Murgul. Reading it takes less than a tic, and I answer him directly.
“Murgul, from what I have deduced, they have not managed to resurrect any of the Aynar tech, not that they have tried. Almost all the structures the Aynar performed their… research in have either been destroyed or fully repurposed to meet the needs of the new tenants.”
Everyone lets out a collective sigh of relief.
“I can assure you all of that, as it was one of the first things I looked for. There is not a single living soul on Viri 9 that wishes to continue the work of the Aynar. Furthermore, my current calculations predict there will not be any prejudice against our humans, but I cannot provide solid verification regarding that matter until we arrive. Physiological responses of the Ruks there will be documented and compared with my computations.” Pausing, I contemplate whether to tell them what else I found on Viri 9.
Frack it, or as the humans say: “fuck it.”
“You should also know there is a lone Jega male living amongst the Ruks, so have fun breaking that to your mates!” Offering my brothers a jaunty wave, I cut the comm before the yelling commences, when a gasp at the door catches my attention.
Whirling around, I see Bambi and Heather standing in the door staring at me in horror.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?! One of those legless freaks that stole us from Earth is on the planet we’re supposed to live happily ever after on? What the actual fuck, Bikar? When were you going to tell me, we, us, her about that?”
Heather’s rapid-fire questions are getting more aggressive the more she speaks, the scent of her rage permeating the room. When she gestures to a shaking Bambi, I realize I have miscalculated.
“Bhastas is a gentle male and does not deserve your disdain. Every record I have found describes him as polite to a fault, helpful, and reserved. The Jega are a matriarchal society where the females are larger and far more deadly than their male counterparts. I can only guess at what transpired, but it was enough to ostracize and banish him from his home planet.” Maintaining eye contact with Heather, I drive home one last piece of information.
“It means his genetic line ends with him, as his kind do not mate outside their species. Their biology prevents it.” Taking a deep breath to find my center, I ask.
“Do you truly think I would find out a Jega has taken up residence on Viri 9, and not do my due diligence to ensure he is not a threat to my mate, as well as the rest of you humans?”
The incredulous tone of my voice must finally penetrate Heather’s ire, because she slowly relaxes before looking over at Bambi with a wince. “I may have jumped the gun a little.”
Huffing out a laugh, Bambi rolls her eyes in exasperation, even as her scent betrays how nervous she is. “Ya think?”
“Fine, I guess the sneaky snake can stay, but he better stay the fuck away from me,” Heather barks before spinning on her heel and stomping out of the room.