Chapter 18 #2
We were led to a section of seats near the central floor, positioned where we could see and be seen. I felt the weight of ten thousand gazes turning toward us, assessing, judging. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
That's him. The human. The one who claims to be her true mate.
Down the bond, I felt Serna's presence growing stronger. She was close.
The chamber fell silent as a door at the far end of the central floor opened.
And Serna walked in.
She wore formal robes—deep blue, red and purple trimmed with silver, the colors of her office—and moved with a grace that seemed effortless despite the weight of the fabric.
Her hair was pulled back in an intricate style of braids, revealing the elegant lines of her face.
She looked every inch the Prime—powerful, composed, untouchable.
The silence was absolute. Over ten thousand beings, and not one of them made a sound as she crossed to the center of the floor.
She stood there for a long moment, her gaze sweeping across the assembled Council. When she finally spoke, her voice carried effortlessly through the chamber—amplified by technology I couldn't see, but also by the sheer force of her presence.
"Members of the Council," she began. "I stand before you today to speak truth. To reveal a conspiracy that has threatened the very foundation of our Alliance. And to ask for your blessing on a matter of the heart."
Another pause. The tension in the chamber was palpable.
"Many of you know that I recently traveled to my homeworld of Vaktaire for the funeral of my first mate, Chavon. What you may not know is that I was attacked during my return journey. My ship was ambushed, shot down, and I was forced to crash-land on an uncharted world."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Serna waited for them to quiet before continuing.
"The being responsible for this attack was Riuondo Barkaze."
The murmurs became gasps. Shouts of disbelief.
"Impossible!" someone called from the upper tiers. "Barkaze died a century ago!"
"He did not." Serna's voice cut through the noise like a blade. "He faked his death. And in the century since, he has been systematically murdering every other candidate who competed in the Prime trials."
The chamber erupted. Voices shouting, demanding proof, expressing shock and horror.
Serna raised her hand, and the massive overhead screen flickered to life.
The footage was grainy, pulled from the shuttle's security systems, but clear enough. The timestamp showed it was only days old.
The first image made my stomach turn even though I'd lived through it.
There I was—strapped to that chair, my body twisted at an unnatural angle, blood streaking down my face and chest. My eyes were half-closed, my skin a sickly gray-white that made me look more corpse than man.
Even knowing I'd survived, seeing myself like that—broken, tortured, barely clinging to life—sent a chill through me.
"This is Admiral Cullen Blackwood," Serna said, her voice tight with controlled emotion. "After Riuondo captured him. After hours of torture designed to extract information and my cooperation."
The image shifted, showing Riuondo himself. Alive. Undeniably, impossibly alive. His distinctive features were unmistakable—the sharp angles of his face, the cruel set of his mouth, the cold calculation in his eyes as he circled my broken form.
The chamber had gone deathly silent.
The footage continued. Riuondo speaking, gesturing, his lips moving in what was clearly a confession. The attack of the Alliance rescue team. His fight with my mate. Then the moment of his death—Serna's blade finding its mark, the spray of dark blood, his body crumpling to the deck.
The screen froze on that final image: Riuondo Barkaze, unmistakably dead, lying in a pool of his own blood.
"This footage has been verified by three independent forensic teams," Serna said. "The biometric data confirms the identity. Riuondo Barkaze lived. And now he is truly dead."
The chamber devolved into chaos, voices raised in both support and disbelief.
A grizzled Kerzak stood, his voice booming across the chaos. "Order! Let the Prime speak!"
Gradually, the noise subsided.
Serna continued, her voice steady. "Kaell'inth Zir'naex.
Threnara Serac. Vextaral Morvan. Sollix Van-arstan.
Melthis Vaelara. All dead. All under suspicious circumstances that were never fully investigated.
Riuondo confessed to these murders before his death.
He spent a century eliminating his competition, building alliances with those who shared his vision of the universe—a vision that included the enslavement of all humans and the execution of any being who took a human as a mate. "
The silence that followed was different now. Heavier. Horrified.
"He planned to force my abdication," Serna said.
"To take control of the Alliance and implement these policies.
He would have started by executing Duke Ako—" she gestured toward where we sat, and I felt every eye in the chamber turn toward us "—for his decades of advocacy for human rights.
Then he would have moved on to my own son, Charick, for his association with humans. "
I saw Charick in the seats across from us, his face pale but composed. Willa sat beside him, holding Titus close.
"But he failed," Serna continued. "Because I was not alone when he attacked. I was accompanied by Admiral Cullen Blackwood of Earth—a human warrior who has served the Alliance with distinction, who risked his life to protect me, who stood beside me when I needed someone most."
She turned, and her eyes found mine across the chamber.
"And in the process," she said, her voice softening slightly, "I discovered something I never expected to find. Commander Blackwood is my true mate."
The chamber exploded again. This time the voices were mixed—some shocked, some approving, some clearly opposed.
Serna raised her hand, and gradually the noise died down.
"I know this is unprecedented," she said. "I know some of you will question this bond." She hesitated, heavy sign echoing through the chamber.
That got their attention. The chamber went silent again.
"For a century, I believed that a good Prime hid their emotions. That strength meant control, that leadership required distance. I believed that to serve the Alliance, I had to sacrifice my own heart, my own happiness, my own emotions." She paused. "I was wrong."
I could feel the shift in the chamber—the way beings leaned forward, listening intently.
"The Alliance doesn't need a leader who hides their feelings," Serna said, her voice growing stronger.
"It needs a leader who feels. Who hurts when their people hurt.
Who rages against injustice. Who loves deeply and fights fiercely for those they care about.
That is the kind of Prime I want to be. That is the kind of Prime the Alliance deserves. "
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
"Riuondo's conspiracy revealed something crucial," Serna continued. "It revealed that there are still those among us who view some species as lesser. Who believe that humans—and others—exist to serve rather than to stand as equals. This cannot continue."
Her voice rang out across the chamber, powerful and clear.
"I stand before you today to declare that under my leadership, slavery will be outlawed everywhere in the Alliance.
Not just in theory, but in practice. We will hunt down every trafficking operation, dismantle every system that treats sentient beings as property.
We will protect humans—and all Alliance peoples—as equals.
This is not negotiable. This is not a debate. This is the future of the Alliance."
She paused, letting her gaze sweep across the assembled representatives with unmistakable intensity.
"And let me be clear about what this means for those who would defy this law.
Any being—regardless of rank, species, or station—who continues to traffic in slavery, who profits from bondage, who condones these practices, will face the full force of Alliance justice.
We will prosecute them. We will seize their assets.
We will strip them of their titles and their standing.
There will be no mercy for those who choose profit over the freedom of sentient beings.
This is a promise. For only in an Alliance where every single being is see as an equal, is seen as worthwhile and deserving of respect, can there be true peace. "
The applause started in scattered pockets—mostly from the lower tiers, where younger representatives sat. But it spread, growing louder, more enthusiastic.
Serna waited for it to quiet before continuing.
"And I ask you now for your blessing. Admiral Cullen Blackwood is my true mate—the bond recognized by Vaktaire tradition as sacred and unbreakable. I wish to formalize this bond, to make him my consort. I ask the Council to recognize this union and to accept him as Prime Consort of the Alliance."
The silence that followed was absolute.
This was the moment. The point where everything could go either way.
Down the bond, I felt Serna's anxiety. Her hope. Her determination to fight for us no matter what the Council decided.
The silence stretched. One second. Two. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Then I stood.
Every eye in the chamber turned toward me. I could feel the shift in energy—curiosity, uncertainty, caution. A human. About to speak directly to the Alliance Council.
"Members of the Council," I said, my voice steady despite the weight of scrutiny. "I know many of you are resistant. A human as Prime Consort is unprecedented. You have concerns. You have doubts. You're right to have them."
I paused, making sure I had their attention.