Chapter 33
Myrum
He hadn’t considered how Amina might react to meeting humans wearing collars or coming face-to-face with Holian. Really, he should’ve known better. Her boldness and interest in helping others was one of the things he adored about her.
Jinna led them to the ship’s galley. It was about the same size as the one on Steady.
After pushing Holian into a seat, she sat on his lap.
Derani and Nalia did the same thing, while Gis and Helmen sat in spots on the other side of the table.
That left two seats free, one next to Derani and one next to Helmen.
He could tell Amina didn’t want to sit down. Instead of making her pick one, he pulled one a little away from the table, sat down, and drew her onto his lap.
She was tense but didn’t fight him.
Helmen broke the silence. “First I want to thank you for not only paying us in full but adding the bonus even though we didn’t drop Myrum off at Tik.”
“Using the term first indicates there is a second thing you want to say,” Holian said.
“The second thing is that we will all be leaving here when this meeting is over, including Myrum,” Helmen said. “We’re not in your empire. If our crew doesn’t hear from us on a regular basis, they’ll bring station security down on you.”
As he expected, Holian didn’t react to Helmen’s threat. The commandant was far too controlled for that. He remained silent for a few micromarks, then answered in a calm, quiet tone.
“I had hoped paying the bonus would show you that we were meeting in good faith,” he said. “But I can see that it might also be interpreted as a bribe. My intention is only to converse. I have no interest of using force on anyone present.”
“Or coercion," Amina snapped.
Holian let out a long sigh. “I’m embarrassed that you have such a low opinion of me. I swear, if the situation hadn't been so dire, I would’ve never asked Myrum to leave Kalor.”
“I had a choice,” Myrum said, feeling the need to defend the male who gave him a home that helped him recover. “Living on Kalor with Lena and Tarquin allowed me time and space to heal. You never threatened or forced me.”
“It’s called emotional blackmail,” Amina said. “He didn’t have to threaten or force when you felt obligated to him.”
He wasn’t familiar with the term, but the context was clear. “You don’t understand. I thought I was broken and useless. Holian gave me a chance to help my empire one last time.”
“One last time?” Holian said. “What do you mean by that?”
“He didn’t think he was going to survive,” Amina said, her voice sharp. “He was prepared to die.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Holian said, focusing his intense gaze on Myrum. “You said you were doing better, and there was no indication that Lorse was a threat.”
For the first time, Holian’s voice wasn’t so calm, making Myrum rush to reassure him.
“I was doing better,” he said. “You had every right to ask me. We all have to be prepared to make sacrifices.”
“He had a meltdown on our ship when he couldn’t find Ruby,” Amina said, unwilling to let it go. “If it had been any other crew, the best outcome would’ve been dumping him at the nearest station.”
“And the worst outcome?” Holian asked.
It was clear my Amina wasn’t daunted by Holian. “Shove him out of an airlock.”
“Ruby?” Nalia said, drawing everyone's attention. “Who is Ruby?”
As if on cue, Ruby poked her head out from the top of the scarf wrapped around Myrum’s neck.
“That explains the un-Talin accessory," Jinna said with a little laugh.
“That’s a jeweled lizard,” Nalia said. “They’re all over the place on Kalor. Did you bring her with you?”
“She packed herself in my sleeping roll,” he explained. “I didn’t discover her until she was half dead.”
“Oh, poor girl,” Nalia cooed.
“There’s something you should know about this species," Myrum said, realizing that no one was aware of Ruby’s deadly secret. “They can—”
“They’re a lot smarter than anyone realizes,” Amina said, cutting him off. “They’re not just sentient, they’re sapient. I’m sure of it. They need to be treated with respect.”
There was a note of challenge in Amina’s voice. His human expected pushback from the other humans and Talins, but instead she received acceptance.
“That explains some of the stories I’ve heard over the years,” Holian said.
“Live specimen collection has been forbidden on Kalor since it was colonized. There’s a strict policy of passive gathering only.
Even pico can’t be harvested until they float to the top of the water, indicating that they’re at the end of their life span. ”
Holian’s words brought back some memories of helping Kormin collect items in the forests of Kalor. They’d always been careful not to destroy any habitats. He’d thought it was the way Kormin liked to work, but he wasn't surprised to find out it was an expectation set by Holian.
“I could take Ruby back to Kalor,” Jinna offered.
In response, Ruby hissed at Jinna and ducked back down into the scarf.
“I believe you have your answer,” Holian said to Jinna. “And proof of Amina and Myrum’s theory.”
Holian’s calm acceptance did a lot to relax Amina. She was still vigilant but not so tense. Although her next words made it seem like she was trying to pick a fight.
“We had to kill Lorse,” Amina announced. “And his guards. To cover it all up we blew up the outpost.”
Nalia and Jinna gasped, and Derani sounded a rattle of alarm. As usual, Holian remained silent. Amina wasn’t done.
“Myrum and I are in the process of getting married, which will give him Ilgorian citizenship. We’re going to adopt all the Ossiso staff that Lorse was abusing, and we’ll all travel back to Ineeko. We’re not letting anyone be abused by their government, Ossiso or Talin.”
The implication was clear, Amina was as mad at his empire as she was at the Ossiso Civilization of Souls.
“Holian couldn’t have known Lorse would be so obsessed with me that he’d drug me into submission,” Myrum said.
“I might have had an indication that Lorse had an unhealthy preoccupation with you, but this turned out so much worse than I expected,” Holian said, his voice full of regret.
“What made you think that?” Myrum asked.
“When I first looked into making contact with Lorse, the Ossiso diplomatic interface was eager to put me in touch with him. He’d been making a pest of himself trying to get in touch with Myrum.
The moment I suggested Myrum might like to visit but that it couldn’t be official, or even documented, he immediately agreed. I should’ve been more suspicious."
“It worked though,” Myrum said. “I was able to convince Lorse that our empire didn’t have good intentions toward the Ossisos. I know he sent a message to Jishorn. Unfortunately, I don’t know if that had any effect. Everything went wrong at the outpost before we could hear if there was a response.”
“It worked,” Holian said. “All the Talin generals and command working within Ossiso space were suddenly sent back to the Ossiso-Talin planet Wulnum. Any Talin unwilling to take orders from an Ossiso was shipped there as well. All our equipment was kept, and the Apogee Assembly is talking about trying to self-destruct everything if it isn’t returned.
Any interest in further pacts or mutual military aid is over. ”
“What about Standing General Jafinium?” He looked down at Amina to explain.
“He was the one who left with a bunch of equipment and other commanders stationed on Wulnum to join in the Ossiso civil war without permission of the Apogee Assembly or our monarch. He knowingly and with premeditation broke the law but tried to excuse it all as necessary because the Ossisos were in crisis.”
“He seems to have disappeared. He didn’t show back up on Wulnum, and no one seems to know where he is.” Holian’s calm tone turned hard. “He can’t hide forever. I’ll search him out.”
As usual, Holian’s competence and determination was soothing for Myrum. “I know you will, Commandant Holian.”
“I’m sorry my eagerness to use your connection to Lorse made me blind to your struggle,” Holian said. “When I ran across the fact that your rescuer had a parent close to the Ossiso high command, I thought it was a gift from the ancestors. I was determined to use any possible advantage.”
“You’ve been fighting an unacknowledged battle with the empire for many solars,” Myrum said.
“Your dedication to stopping a civil war within our species humbles me, and I’m proud to have been able to contribute.
But Amina is right, I’m leaving the empire.
I’m going to become an Ilgorian citizen and Amina’s husband. ”
“And we’ll be their children,” Gis said with a great deal of pride.
“Don’t object,” Helmen said. “Our family is strong. We look after each other, and Myrum will never go without anything.”
“You’re family?” Holian asked, looking over at Amina and back to Helmen.
“We’re cousins,” Helmen said. “All my crew are cousins. Our extended family might be large, but no one is ever sent off into a situation alone.”
Myrum could hear the rebuke in that statement. All Holian said was, “That’s admirable.”
Amina suddenly jumped off his lap. He wasn’t expecting it and let out a rattle of surprise. She gave him a reassuring smile then turned to face the other humans.
“I’d like to see the ship. Would you guys show me around? It’s a lot newer than ours,” Amina said.
Nalia was quick to stand. She was proud of Bountiful and loved to show it off, including all the upgrades they made a few solars ago when they went to work exclusively for the monarch and Prime Family.
Derani stood to join them, but Holian stopped him. “Please stay here, we have a little more to discuss. I’m sure Nalia will stay on board the ship.”
“I’ll join them,” Jinna said. “I want to ask Amina about that scarf Myrum is wearing.”
Amina gave her a genuine smile. “It’s made out of Jinjoo fiber. I’ve got one more on our ship that you can have.”
“I want to go with you,” Helmen said. “I’ve got questions about your cargo load capabilities.”
Gis was right behind her. There was no chance Gis was going to let Amina leave him behind.
The Talins watched the group leave, talking easily among themselves. Holian turned to face Myrum after they couldn’t hear them any longer.
“I have some message packets from the Council of Family Concerns,” Holian said.
Myrum braced himself. “Yes?”
“All your wealth has been reclaimed by your sibling,” Holian said.
“She did a good job of making it appear that you’re non compos mentis.
It bothers me, but I can’t stop the rumors about the Talins who settle on Kalor.
She submitted all the required documentation and managed to keep us from hearing about it. I can try to fight this, if you want.”
Myrum sounded a negative rumble. “I don’t care. Amina assured me that there are jobs for me on Ineeko.”
“If that’s what you really want to do, then I’ll make sure you have some resources,” Holian said.
Derani made a disgusted sound. “You don’t seem bothered by your sibling’s conduct.”
“I’m saddened but not surprised,” Myrum said. He and his sister had always been more like competitors than siblings. “She saw an opportunity to gain more wealth and took it. My parents have already dismissed me. This is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to being part of Amina’s family.”
“I know Lena and Tarquin will miss you, but they’ll be happy for you also,” Holian said.
“I’ll put together some data packets for you to take to them. They were so kind to me. I’m not sure I would’ve survived without them and their garden.” Absently he petted the jeweled lizard through the scarf. “Or Ruby.”
“I’d be happy to drop off the data packets. We’ll be doing a supply run to Kalor next,” Derani said, standing up. “If this is all you needed from me, then I’d like to leave and join Nalia.”
“I’m afraid you can’t leave yet,” Holian said.
Derani sounded a confused rumble. “Why?”
“Because Amina needs to spend time with Jinna and Nalia,” Holian explained as Derani retook his seat. “She will want to talk them into leaving with her.”
Myrum let out an amused rumble. “I don’t think that conversation is going to go the way Amina expects.”
“I’m sure it won’t,” Holian agreed. “But hopefully she’ll be reassured afterward."