Chapter 9 #3
“Uncle of my sister, I am pleased at last to meet you. If Alanna is a representative of a typical Earth female, I know she has presented your species to their absolute best. I am eager to know you, family of my family. Please know, I have done my utmost to defend her and my other sisters to the best of my ability, and I will continue to protect them with my life.”
Grinning, she nudged him gently. Silently thanking him. He sent a grin to her that was both playful and a promise that he was completely sincere. Not that she needed him to say it. She had seen the lengths Atem would go to in order to protect them. He took his role as clan guardian seriously.
“I see,” Her uncle said. “And Alanna, you truly are… safe amongst them?”
The question was obviously directed towards her, so she didn't translate that. But it did make her head cock curiously as she tried to figure out why he suddenly looked uneasy.
It took a few seconds for her to realize that their alienness and propensity towards bearing any part of their body they desired weren’t the only things she had become blind to.
Standing between them, looking from one to the other, she remembered that domini were considerably bigger than humans. And it wasn’t just the domini. The ratchi too, and every species she had met thus far, were larger than them.
She came up only to their chests. Atem was just a bit taller, and definitely broader, than Survii. So, she had gone from one alien that easily outclassed her to one that outclassed him. And neither of them held a candle to the behemoth that was Tuvo who, luckily, hadn’t been seen yet.
To her uncle and the assembled group of leaders, it truly must have seemed like she had just been flanked on either side by unbeatable demons. And they didn't even know about the camouflaging or the fact that the domini enjoyed combat like it was part of a balanced diet.
She gave her uncle a wide smile, trying to be as open and honest as possible.
“I’m perfectly safe, uncle,” she promised as both males gave her curious looks.
No doubt wondering what had been said since, thanks to the acoustics of this particular spot, they couldn’t really hear the continued translation Peony provided any longer.
“We’re all safe and eager to return. These are good, honorable males and they have treated us with only the utmost respect. ”
Her uncle smiled, but she knew that smile. It was his politician smile. The one he gave when he was deliberately hiding how he felt about something. He wasn’t sure he trusted what she was saying when two demons stood on either side of her.
“May we see the other women that were taken? For the sake of their families. So that they might know that they’re okay. I’m sure they miss them terribly.”
Ah. The kindly way of asking for proof of life. The domini really must look frightening.
“Sure,” Alanna agreed. She turned to the guys and switched to speaking Standard. “Can you stand back a bit? They want to see the other girls.”
“He isn’t related to them, is he?” Atem asked, clearly confused. Of course, he would be. He wouldn’t think there would be any reason to doubt their intentions.
Survii, however, understood immediately. “Of course. They want to make sure they’re all right.”
“Why would they not be?” Atem asked, even as he followed Survii in stepping back. Not out of view but giving plenty of room for the girls to come up the stairs.
“Atem, would you trust a random group of males you had never met with your females?” Survii asked, chuckling, already knowing the answer even before Atem growled at the very idea.
Alanna smacked his arm, cutting off the growl and earning a look of surprise from him.
“What was that for?”
“Don’t growl immediately after they ask you to see the other abducted women. They’ll think you’re angry at them.” She gave him a look like that should have been obvious as Survii chuckled.
She touched Atem’s arm gently in passing as she followed the other girls back to the center of the platform – silently apologizing for the light hit. But she needed Earth to see that she wasn’t afraid of him, even when he was being outwardly aggressive.
Alanna stepped forward, standing center between the other girls.
They had all dressed up today. Peony matched Atem, and she looked the most like a space princess besides Alanna.
Scarlet had opted to wear what was, essentially, her uniform - a seafoam green number that wasn’t all that dissimilar from a pair of scrubs.
Holly and Hattie were wearing pink and blue respectively.
Holly had chosen a looser dress to hide her slowly growing baby bump, Scarlet’s belly wasn’t showing yet, and Peony had passed Viktor off to Tilii – her domini female friend and servant – before stepping into the light.
They weren’t exactly hiding that they were mating and breeding with the domini, but they had agreed that they didn't want that to be the first thing they announced to Earth. It just seemed to put a slightly different spin on the reason for contact than they wanted to broadcast.
Even if it were, objectively, the truth.
The only reason they had received a unanimous decision to offer Earth a protectorate treaty was because they had seen Peony give birth the natural way. And it had horrified them so much, they were determined that no female go through that unnecessarily again.
It was sweet, actually.
As was the concern in her uncle’s eyes as he looked over the five women. No doubt, he knew each of them now since Alanna had given him all their names during their brief conversation before they journeyed to Earth.
And seeing them lined up, clearly well cared for, healthy, and smiling – except for Holly who looked positively terrified of being on camera as she hid halfway behind Hattie – made him relax.
“Welcome home, ladies,” he said to them with genuine warmth. “You were missed.”
Hattie was waving as Alanna smiled at her girls affectionately.
“It’s good to be home,” she finally said, smiling back at her uncle.
Halvdan spoke this time. “We are ready and eager to greet you on our soil. You and the friends you bring us from afar.”
Survii stepped forward – Hattie and Scarlet, closest to each Survii and Atem respectively – had translated their words under their breaths.
Alanna translated this time as Survii said, “We look forward to our landing. We have tracked the location you have prepared for our arrival. And we are quite grateful for your forethought.”
Alanna rather thought it was more a matter of control for Earth to already pick the exact spot they wanted the aliens to land, but Survii was a very diplomatic male and he said it his way with a genuine smile upon his face.
If either human male was surprised that the aliens already knew where they wanted them to go, neither showed it. Survii continued-
“We wish to land in a shuttle, very small, that will drop off the landing party to join you on your planet while the larger ship and crew remain in orbit. The contact delegation will include myself, First Domini, First Warrior Tuvo, First Scholar Romival, and First Guardian Havali. Elder Haviss of the ratchi, though he is co-sponsor, shall remain on the ship and coordinate from here.”
“And the women, of course?” Alanna’s uncle pressed.
“That goes without saying,” Survii chuckled. “We will land the shuttle in the location you have chosen tomorrow morning, at the hour of nine. Will that suit?”
Halvdan nodded in agreement, quickly adding verbally, “We look forward to meeting you properly, and beginning a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
Survii chuckled. “Until then. President. Secretary General. It has been our honor. We look forward to meeting you in the morning.”
He gestured behind his back and, on cue, Yursini cut the feed. The moment her uncle and Halvdan’s faces disappeared, he was suddenly snarling.
The change came over his face so quickly and immediately, it shocked her.
“Mutually beneficial?” He groused as Atem accepted Viktor from Tilii. “Did you hear that?”
Atem grunted in affirmative, joining him and Alanna. “Greedy. Conniving.”
Alanna laughed uneasily. “Come on, guys. What gave you that impression?”
“He did not spare one thought for you,” Survii said. “Your uncle? He is a good male. He was concerned for your welfare first and foremost.”
“And the joy with which he greeted you?” Atem agreed. “Your uncle is worthy, Alanna. This representative your people have picked? I think less so.”
“He wasn’t concerned for any of you. His interest lay only with us and what we can do for him.
Or, more specifically, if I am being generous, your people.
” Survii crossed his arms. “Though, I am willing to bet, he is more concerned for the glory the role he specifically plays granted to him for this momentous moment.”
Alanna laughed uneasily. Because she agreed. That was exactly the vibe she had gotten from Halvdan and, she was sure, if her uncle hadn’t insisted on being there, the only focus given to her would have been as a translator.
“It’s not as bad as all that,” she assured them. “Of course, the secretary general wasn’t as concerned with us. We’re not his family.”
Neither male looked convinced. From across the newly brightened room, she heard Tuvo mumble to someone-
“Are all human males that puny?”
Atem and Survii snickered.
She groaned.
This was going to be difficult, she just knew it.