26. CHAPTER 26

These humans were quite interesting, I would give them that. Not less than hours after an attack, they were already rebuilding, though I was certain that a few of them were their machines. The wounded were rushed to the medical bays and treated for many burns, broken bones, and cuts. The dead lined the pavement for loved ones to identify. Some had already created brick and cement from the soil to begin repairs on their crumbling homes and factories.

I crossed my legs and spun about in what Caspian called an office chair in what he further described as the CEO or director"s office. The position of director was mine, I suppose, given I practically held these humans hostage. This office was also clean, untouched by the fighting that took place here. No blood or dirt anywhere. The glass was spotless and well-made, though thinner than the glass we Valisians would use. Our motto was that if it could shatter in one punch, then it was too flimsy to use. Actually, that wasn"t our motto, but we made nothing that could break easily.

The office was large enough for a small bedroom; the next section housed a sizable bed, shower, toilet areas, and a small lounge. Aside from the comfort, this room was on the top floor and provided three hundred and sixty views of the entire colony and beyond its invisible border. Whoever chose this spot to build made a wise move.

I looked down at the courtyard where Swarti directed a few of the soldiers before heading this way. I still didn"t know what to think of him or his motives right now. On one hand, I still didn"t trust him; as I said before, he had a mind like a maze. However, it was becoming more and more apparent that I couldn"t make any major moves without him or my military to back me up. Especially if the humans fixed their comms system to Earth and informed them of the attack with their little panic-stricken voices, I didn"t believe they would immediately inform me they had fixed their systems before contacting their home planet.

I watched Caspian wander about below, trying his best to help anyone in need, only to find himself rebuffed at almost every turn. Poor beloved Caspian. Loved by me, yet hated by his own kind. Were they still his own? He certainly seemed to think so. I needed to mate him officially and soon, except I"d never done it before, nor had I ever met any man that had made me want to do it until now. My ignorance was showing in this regard, and I didn"t know who to ask for advice.

"Sir." Swarti entered, closing the doors behind him. "The crew is working well with the humans, and construction will be underway soon, just as you ordered. However, some tension still exists, and fights seem to break out spontaneously. If I were to be so blunt, I don"t understand why you would aid them to this extent, as we have our own problems."

"Why did you come here?" I turned to face him. Of course, he would still be so damn clean despite having dust and debris in his face for hours on end. "Why save me? What do you want?"

"Must I have a reason to save my Commander?"

"Cut the bullshit," I replied, not interested in this verbal tit-for-tat. "You know I don"t trust you."

"I know," he replied without hurt, anger, or surprise. "That"s why you purchased that ship out there and why you dismissed us."

"But you knew I was here and came instead."

"Our people needed you, and I couldn"t allow you to die saving a bunch of aliens," he scoffed. "I still had a bug on you. What does it matter?"

"Who are you spying for? Is it my father?"

I watched his face turn ever so slightly, his lips curled, and eyes sharpened damn near to slits.

"I spied on you, not for your father, but because there are others who are invested in you and your successes. You are all we have. You asked me what I want from you, Lorvian. Well, I want you to be a good leader."

"And you don"t think I am. Is that why you"ve gone behind my back? Speaking to Feion, spouting Id"arshar rhetoric, trying to kill Tavi because she saw you—"

Now, his face changed to one of concern. "I didn"t try to kill Tavi," he spat. "She means nothing to me. As for Feion, so what? He was the most powerful person on Eros."

"So, you don"t deny it."

"No, I don"t. I figured coming into contact with him would benefit you to a degree."

"He tried to kill me."

"I know, and now you are the most powerful man in Eros."

Well, this was interesting. "How so?" I wanted to gut him from cock to throat, but I couldn"t deny he had been a good help, and I was interested in what he had to say for himself. I wouldn"t have made it this far in life if I was an emotional wreck.

"We"ve been planning Feion"s death for quite some time, using him to take Eros from the Petra gang who ruled it before, and his usefulness was at an end. We could have been successful had he not taken Elvira"s brother, Draven. He was all she had left, and she wasn"t willing to risk losing him."

"So, you used me to dispatch him. Who the hell are you, or more importantly, who is this we?"

"Elvira and Draven, along with a few others sympathetic to our cause, are making sure Eros becomes a haven for you should you want it."

"Our cause?"

"Sir, we are Id"arshar. Including yourself."

"Bullshit! I am the son of King Zeon of House Cra"ozatharn--!"

"But you are also your Damma"s son!"

"My Damma was a low-born harem wench!"

"He was the prince of House Id"arshar!" He riled up but backed down and squeezed his brow to calm himself. This wasn"t the first time he and I had argued, so I was used to it. Come to think of it, he was the only person onboard my ship who talked back. "And you are its last surviving heir."

"You"re lying," I sneered.

"After your father"s victory and all Id"arshar nobles had been chased off or slain, your father took Prince Nesterin Id"arshar, your Damma, as his…concubine. And he forced him to live as his whore. You are not just Prince Lorvian of Cra"ozatharn but also of Id"arshar, and unfortunately, our people have not given up. They waited for you to come of age."

Unfortunately? What an interesting way of putting it. My mind raced with memories of my childhood, trying to recall any semblance that anything spoken right now was true. Out of all the omega in my father"s harem, they considered my Damma the lowest, and yet he let him have his own estate near the palace. He came to visit me often and even allowed me to live in the palace once I was old enough to decide for myself. I left my Damma behind, only returning to his side to bring him small gifts from my travels. But I wasn"t by his side when she went to sleep. My father had sent me off on a campaign in the Caucus seas. Hm, now Swarti didn"t seem so crazy. For what have my other lowborn siblings done? Have they spent as much time with father"s first children as I have? I don"t recall, so why me?

"That ship you purchased from Eros belonged to your Damma," Swarti continued. "It was his command ship before the war ended—the most advanced stealth ship of its kind. When the soldiers captured him, the Id"arshar hid the ship to prevent it from falling into your father"s hands. Now, it belongs to you. We made sure of it. With Feion dead, Eros, the most prosperous trading port outside of Ashan, is yours. I recruited over seventy percent of Id"arshar soldiers to serve onboard your capital ship. They are as loyal to you as they were to your family. Does it make sense now? You"ve always felt like someone watched you because you were. All of our eyes have been on you from the beginning. But they are losing hope; confidence in you has eroded. Elvira seems more confident than even me."

"And what have you lost confidence in, Swarti?" I asked, wanting to know why he was so open with me now, knowing the consequences he would face should I decide to pass judgment and side with my father"s House. "If so, then why show me all your cards?"

"I love my fiancée, but choosing her and having a child means that my child, if she can have one, would live under the yoke of the man who butchered my family and my people. He or she would learn to bow to them, even revere them. It means watching the last royal of our house do the same and rule under that name. And all because I was afraid to put everything on the line to prevent it. So, I am here." He lowered himself, much to my surprise, and kneeled before me. Not once in the entirety of our working relationship had he done this; hell, he barely bowed. "Willing to take this selfish chance to get what I want. If you wish me dead, fine. Strike true. But you won"t have to worry about Elvira or anyone else. My death at your hands will be enough to alert the others that they should abandon this false hope. They will remain within the hegemony and serve until they sleep."

Now, I believed him. "What do you want from me? Am I supposed to overthrow my own father? Kill him to restore my Damma"s house?"

"Yes," he looked up at me with fierce determination. "Your Damma went to his sleep known as the disgraced whore to his enemy."

"My father could make me King before he sleeps, what point would I have to overthrow him?"

I paced the room, a stupid habit I tried to break, but the only thing I achieved was slowing my steps. The question of believing or disbelieving had passed; now, it was a matter of what I should do with this knowledge. I controlled only one capital ship and a few thousand soldiers as one of many commanders, and my fleet, as large as it was, was only a small part of a larger whole. I grew up under the hegemony; it was might, strength, and power. In my mind, my only thoughts were of what place I could carve for myself within it, not dismantle the whole damned thing!

"Answer this, young prince. Was there ever a time you were happy living at the palace?"

His question took me away from my thoughts. "It"s my home."

"Then why are you so reluctant to return?"

He took my silence as his cue to continue.

"You"ve seen firsthand your Damma"s hardships."

"It wasn"t all bad. Sure I had issues with my siblings because I was from a lower branch, but I kicked their ass and they kicked mine and for the most part I found my place. And my father didn"t mistreat me." I noticed the surprise on Swarti"s features. "Ah, you thought he did, didn"t you? Of course, I"ve never witnessed love between my parents, but I also never witnessed hatred either. And my Damma never spoken a word to turn me against him. I understand how you feel, but my father united our species. They kept the peace, which allowed us to flourish. A civil war would ruin that and make us vulnerable on all sides. We rule over too many aliens for this to end cleanly."

"You know better than anyone that this peace is fragile. Once your father goes to sleep, the war will begin, anyway. Almost every alien species conquered will try to regain control over their own territories; some will war for more resources. Even if your war isn"t with your father, it could be with one of them. Your siblings will kill you before they allow you to take the throne, and when that happens, I can"t guarantee that Id"arshar won"t fight back."

I remained silent because I didn"t want to reveal that I had no damn clue what to do! Or perhaps I was afraid. I made fun of so-called freedom fighters like Daruuk. And now, the thought of standing on that edge, coming face to face with the possibility of fighting something so massive it engulfs half the damn galaxy. Daruuk was already swimming in the cold, icy deep, and I was standing safely on the ledge staring into the abyss, afraid to jump in.

Swarti lifted his tunic, revealing the small triangular mark under his armpits.

"This is the symbol of your house. Whatever you decide is the right course, we will follow, we just wanted to let you know that you"re not alone, and with everything happening with our new arrivals…well we sense a tide turning and wanted your eyes opened before that time came."

"You said you"ve lost hope. What changed?"

"You"ve made some decisions that I find curious."

Before he could say more, a soldier entered, saluting us. "Sir, sorry to disturb you, but we have a problem outside that requires your attention."

We followed him outside to the courtyard where the bodies rested, and now a small rowdy crowd gathered. Human guards held the crowd of humans back while my soldiers held back their brothers and sisters in arms.

"What is going on out here?"