14. Hazel

14

Hazel

I gasped when the Kavian warriors led us out of the dark tunnel. We entered a massive cavern flooded with light coming through the cave-like ceiling. Hundreds of catwalks, runways, and platforms connected huts, houses, and makeshift buildings into a giant hidden city.

"What is this place?" I whispered.

"This is Caverncall, our stronghold," Xavier replied. "Come this way. Clan King Garath vas Turra is sitting in his hall. He'll want to meet you right away."

He turned off toward a large structure, entering the building as five huge Kavians emerged from it. Tattoos covered every inch of their chests, arms, and shoulders .

They exchanged a few snippets of conversation, but they fell silent when they saw Valmore. Their eyes flicked over his body, and he flinched. These Kavians made a big deal about clan markings. They seemed to find Valmore odd because he didn't have any.

What would the vas Turra Clan King do and say when he found out about Valmore? Would these Kavians accept Valmore the way Xavier did, or would they throw him out?

Valmore squared his shoulders under their inspection. He strode into the hall, following Xavier down the center aisle. Every eye in the place turned to stare as we approached the platform at the far end.

The one Xavier had called Tennar propped his hands on his knees. He whispered in the ear of a stately man seated on a throne constructed entirely of bones. The clan king wore layer upon layer of glorious garments that draped to the floor.

A human woman sat in an elaborate chair at his side. She listened with her head cocked to one side. Her bright eyes snapped immediately to me. What was she doing here, and why did she occupy such a seat by the king's right hand?

Tennar straightened up as Xavier led us to the platform. To my amazement, the clan king got to his feet and descended the platform. He held out both hands to greet Valmore. "You have no idea how welcome you are! You're the first of Clan Chirkak to make it back to us. We're honored to receive you… You and your mate—I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

I shuffled my feet. "Hazel—Hazel Simmons."

Just then, a tiny Kavian girl burst out of the crowd. She charged toward us and attacked Xavier's leg. "Father! Did you get the trophy?"

His booming laugh rang out over the hall. He hoisted her into his arms and perched her on his hip as his eyes sparkled at me and Valmore. "I'm the only one of my clan to make it back too—at least, I was until this little devil came along." He put the girl down. "Go tell your mother another Kavian has brought a human female mate. Tell her to come and meet the newcomer."

The girl raced off. The clan king turned to me and held out one hand to shake mine. "My name is Garath. Please ignore all of this formality. It has nothing to do with your arrival. We were just conducting some clan business when the patrol returned."

"We didn't mean to intrude," Valmore said. "We just weren't sure if our scans were correct that there really was a Kavian colony here."

"You're not intruding at all. This is my mate, Daphne Clarron." Garath waved his companion forward from her seat. "I shouldn't be surprised that another Kavian-human pair turned up. Soon we'll all be half-Kavian, half-human."

The entire hall erupted in raucous laughter. I didn't see anything funny in that, though. I still couldn't get used to all these people referring to me as Valmore's mate. He and I still weren't quite settled on that one.

"You're wearing an IPA uniform," Daphne remarked. "I landed here from the Academy of Sciences Research Vessel Quest . Does the IPA have ships in the atmosphere? We didn't pick them up with our surveillance equipment."

"I'm afraid not. The IPA sent me here to investigate the conflict on this planet, but I'm not empowered to intervene. Our ship is not an IPA ship. We don't even know if the IPA has any intention of helping your people if you're in trouble."

Garath and Xavier both scowled. "That is indeed serious. We are in trouble. The Ranxi have already launched attacks on us, though we've held them off. It's only a matter of time before they come back."

"Is there any way you can alert the IPA of our situation?" Daphne asked. "They wouldn't stand by and let the Ranxi destroy us, would they? If they find out, they'll intervene. Won't they?"

Valmore and I exchanged glances. "We don't know," I replied. "How bad is it? "

"Bad," Xavier replied. "The Ranxi are developing super-soldiers genetically hybridized from multiple species. The Ranxi also altered several other species to attack us, including the native Vorlax."

"We don't know how long we can hold out," Daphne went on. "We have the one defense turret and a few homemade defense systems, but it isn't enough. It definitely won't be enough when the Ranxi bring their full force against us."

A door slammed and another human woman burst in. She gasped when she saw us. "This is Xavier's mate, Merrit Ryder," Daphne told us. "Xavier and Merrit were imprisoned in an experimental Ranxi laboratory. The Ranxi took DNA and other samples from Xavier to breed their super-soldiers. We have reason to believe they were trying to hybridize humans and Kavians to produce an even more formidable offspring."

"If we can help you, we will," Valmore told them. "But we only have one aging frigate. It won't be enough against the Ranxi."

I laid my hand on his arm to stop him from saying anything more. I didn't want to promise that my dad—or anyone in the IPA—would be able to save this refugee population from disaster.

"None of that matters right now," Merrit interrupted. "You are our honored guests. We must offer you our hospitality. Come with us. "

She took my hand and started to draw me away from Valmore. I glanced over my shoulder to find him watching me. A strange expression crossed his face.

Daphne and Merrit flanked me on both sides. They chatted in my ears as they pulled me out of the hall. "Garath and Xavier will take Valmore to Garath's war room," Merrit began. "They'll probably talk all night about war." She laughed.

I carefully looked over her smiling face. Both of these women seemed very happy and at ease, even though they were surrounded by tattooed, horned Kavians on all sides. They looked small and frail by comparison, but they didn't seem to notice.

They led me up a walkway to a nearby dwelling. "This is my house," Daphne told me. "You can make yourself comfortable here. You've met enough strangers for one day."

"We'll find a house for you and Valmore to stay in," Merrit went on. "Everyone around here is used to human-Kavian pairs by now."

They led me inside. Another Kavian—a female—worked over a fire pit set into the floor. Graceful tattoos covered her upper body in organic swirls.

Her eyes widened when she saw me. "Another one?"

"Relax," Merrit told her. "She's mated to a Kavian who just turned up." She glanced at me. "What clan did you say your mate was from?"

"Chirkak," I muttered, "but I don't think Valmore is my mate. He's just…"

"Of course he is!" Daphne interrupted. "We all saw the way he looked at you. Now sit down. We'll make you something to eat."

I looked around. Besides a shelf in the corner made up as a bed, the room contained no furniture to sit on. Merrit sat with her legs crossed on the floor next to the other woman. "This is Nissaya—Garath's sister and Tennar's mate. I've never heard of Clan Chirkak. Where did they come from?"

"I've never heard of them, either," Daphne added.

I only knew faint details, but thankfully the Kavian woman Nissaya had an answer. "They came from the mines on the opposite side of Kavius," she explained. "They were unique among Kavian clans in that they lived apart from the rest of Kavian society. They were fiercely independent and very warlike—even more warlike than the other clans—mainly because they lived in the wilderness and had to fend for themselves. We thought they all died out in the invasion." She turned to me. "Garath will be delighted that your mate made it back."

I copied Merrit and sat down on the floor while Nissaya cooked over the fire. To think Valmore might be the last of his people… For some reason, th e thought made me feel choked up. He was the last of his people, and his fated bond was with me. I wasn't sure if I'd stay with him, but he seemed willing to let me go if it was my wish. He was willing to let his bloodline end, for me.

Nissaya pushed something into my hands. "Eat this. You must be starving."

I looked down into a wooden bowl piled high with food. Several large hunks of meat perched on a bed of what looked like chopped vegetables and pieces of fried cake. A savory aroma drifted into my nose, and my mouth watered.

I looked up to see all three women watching my reaction. Nissaya burst into a grin and handed me a spoon. "You'll need this."

The others laughed, and they all started talking at once. "How did you end up here?" Daphne asked. "How long have you been with the IPA? Tennar says you left two crewmen down by your shuttle."

"How did you meet Valmore?" Merrit asked. "There aren't many Kavians roaming the galaxy anymore."

"Slow down, chatterboxes," Nissaya interrupted. "One question at a time—and wait for her to taste her meal first."

They all laughed. I blinked at them in amazement. None of them appeared to notice that they were different species. They laughed and joked and teased like sisters.

I took a bite. The food tasted even better than it smelled. After over two weeks of casserole and roasted meat on the Methuselah , I hadn't realized how famished I was for a real, home-cooked meal.

The other three fell unnaturally quiet while I chewed, but I still caught Nissaya biting back a grin. Merrit fidgeted. All at once, she blurted out. "All right, that's enough. Now tell us everything. How did you get here?"

I shrugged. "I work for the IPA."

"We got that," Daphne cut in. The others laughed again.

"They sent me out here to investigate reports of unrest. Normally, they would just send a drone for a mission like that, but in this case…" I trailed off. How much should I tell them? "They sent me instead."

"And Valmore?" Merrit asked. "How did you meet?"

"He was… He got assigned as my bodyguard on this mission. That's how we met." I chose to leave out all the other stuff that happened on board the Methuselah . These women didn't need to know that.

"You said your ship isn't an IPA ship," Daphne pointed out. "Who does it belong to? "

I shrugged. This could get sticky. "It's an independent contractor."

"So we can't expect them to help us against the Ranxi," Merrit returned. "We have a few tricks up our sleeves, but we don't have the numbers to fight them. Now that they know we're resisting, they'll send an overwhelming force against us next time."

"Valmore said he wasn't sure the IPA would help us," Daphne remarked. "Do you agree with that?"

"I was telling Valmore on the way here," I began, "that we might be able to get the IPA to intervene between you and the Ranxi. If the brass finds out the Ranxi are threatening an endangered population, they could send us backup."

"You won't find many Kavians who would agree with you," Nissaya cut in. "Most Kavians hate the IPA with a passion. The IPA stood by and did nothing while the Ranxi destroyed our planet and hunted down all the dispersed refugees they could find."

I winced. "I know, but…"

"So what makes you think they'll do anything differently now?"

I shrugged. Here goes nothing. "I know people—powerful people. I know people who would force the IPA to intervene. The problem is that we're two weeks' travel from the Elysium Space Station, which is the nearest military installation. If we contact them right now, it will take them two weeks to get here."

"Not if they use hyperspeed," Daphne argued.

"They won't do that unless it's an emergency, and this isn't one. The Ranxi aren't attacking."

"Not yet," Merrit replied. "What are we supposed to do—wait until the Ranxi wipe us all out and then the IPA shows up two weeks later to clean up the bloodstains?"

"That's why she suggested contacting them now," Daphne replied. "I think it's a good idea."

Nissaya shook her head. "Garath won't like it. If the Ranxi don't attack and the IPA shows up, they could make it worse for us. They could decide that we don't have any claim to this planet and throw us off. We would be displaced again while the IPA builds a human colony in our place." She glanced over at me. "No offense."

"None taken. I've learned a lot about the IPA since I left Elysium. Valmore has educated me on their less-than-savory practices."

"It still couldn't hurt to contact them," Daphne went on. "They did send Hazel out here to investigate the fighting. This planet is already on their radar…"

"As a potential human colony," Nissaya countered. "We're squatters. We're in their way."

"Why are you painting the IPA as the bad guy here?" Daphne argued. "They could be our ace in the hole against the Ranxi."

" Could be," Merrit emphasized. "It's a gamble whether they'll be a help or a hindrance."

Nissaya glanced at me. "I think this talk is making our guest uncomfortable. Let's change the subject."

"The way we're going, we'll build up our numbers with human-Kavian hybrids." Merrit cracked a grin at me. "Daphne and I are both working on our seconds."

I blinked. "Seconds? Seconds of what?"

The others exploded in laughter. "Second babies," Daphne explained. "We have one each. Garath and I have a son named Obi and Merrit and Xavier have little Wynter. You saw her in the gathering hall."

"It won't matter though," Nissaya murmured. "If the Ranxi have their way, there won't be another generation. Their flyovers of this planet increase with every week. They would only do that if they were planning an attack really soon."

A chill fell over the room. The others exchanged glances. I set down my bowl a little too hard. "That settles it. I'm going to contact IPA Command. If the Ranxi are flying over that often, the IPA's long-range scans should have picked up that activity. They didn't send it to me, but they'll have enough evidence to send out a fleet of attack cruisers. Maybe I can even convince them that it's urgent enough to use hyperspeed."

The others got to their feet with me. "How will you contact them?" Merrit asked. "Our communications system isn't powerful enough."

"I'll have to go back to the shuttle. I'll get the Methuselah to patch me through to Elysium." With that, I stood, a plan in place.