Chapter 29

Lorelai

I glanced sideways at my new husband. If he was surprised, he maintained his calm, but I heard a note in his voice as he asked, "Development? Further development than what already occurs?"

"The rebuild of our colony is happening too slowly," Grignus explained. "We've discussed this."

"We have," Ellax agreed, "though we found no new solutions."

"We found one while you were away." A member whose name I didn't know spoke up. He was rounder than the rest, younger, and had the most intense golden eyes I'd ever seen. He looked like the type to pick a fight just because he loved arguing. Instinctively, I wanted to shrink back. I made myself sit up straighter and clenched my thumbs to stop the twiddling.

"And what is that? All solutions must be approved by a majority vote," Ellax reminded his peers.

"It's been approved," Grignus said. "Even if you dissented—and I don't know why you would—all of us are in agreement. There has been no formal vote without you, of course, but we know which way we'd all vote. We simply need you to present it to the Interstellar Coalition, as you are the sole Lead Advisor among us."

My alien husband's dark silver eyebrows rose. I thought he was surprised. Possibly offended. Still, he didn't quarrel. Simply said, "And what is this proposal? How does it affect my wife and myself?"

"A strike force." Sirena said bluntly. "From the Interstellar Coalition. Led from the air by Flight Commander Abidah. You know Flight Commander Abidah, I believe?"

For the first time, I saw a crack in Ellax's fa?ade. At Abidah's name, he shifted uncomfortably on his seat. What was the emotion that washed over his face? Guilt? I had no idea what this meant, yet I heard the strain in his voice as he admitted, "I know him."

"We wish the Interstellar Coalition to approve a strike force from the air and on the ground."

"Utilize the Elite?" I didn't know this term, but it sounded military. I would have to question Ellax later. "The Coalition uses them only in the most dangerous or sensitive of circumstances."

"And that is what this is," Ursis confirmed, nodding wisely. "The Elite go in first, seek out the wild humans and their strongholds, report back, and thus pave the way for the strike force from the air. After that, the ground troops come in."

A sickening feeling flooded my guts, worse than the nausea of nerves from before. They were talking about a military invasion. On Earth. Against the wild humans. People who had successfully managed to evade the Overlords' control by living out in the mostly barren wastelands outside the colonies the Coalition's planets were attempting to build.

"You're going to hunt down the wild humans?"

I heard the horror in my voice. I wasn't meant to speak. I couldn't help it. This was wrong.

"You can't do that!"

"We can," Ursis shot back. "Having lived on Earth, you know better than us that they are thieves, marauders, and sometimes murderers."

"I mean, sometimes they do cause some trouble…" Okay, sometimes they caused a lot of trouble. The people living outside the Citadel's walls always had to be careful that they weren't attacked by wild humans. While many wild humans kept as far away from alien strongholds as possible, others survived by raiding alien supply trains traveling from one colony to the next, or by preying on the humans outside the fortress walls. Usually, it was simple thievery for supplies. And yet, I'd heard of murders. Rape. Honestly, even torture and butchery. While the majority of wild humans merely wanted to be left alone, there were, unfortunately, those factions that tried to fight back, in their minds, against the Overlords by taking revenge on unprotected humans who complied with them.

"That's not all of them, though," I went on, continuing my protest. "Are you talking about the Elite going after the troublemakers? Or…"

Sirena picked up on my trailing sentence. "The Council wishes to petition the Interstellar Coalition to send its troops after any and all wild humans they can find—minus, perhaps, young females who can be saved for the breeder's program. The rebels have been a pest and a nuisance for far too long. Once the wild humans are wiped out, rebuilding on Earth can proceed at a much swifter, safer pace."

My guts were churning. I'm sure horror was evident on my face. I felt Ellax reach out and clasp my hand. He squeezed it, either attempting to ground me, comfort me, or silence me.

I wrenched my hand away.

If he went along with this…

"You're literally talking about murdering every human you can catch who doesn't comply with the Interstellar Coalition," I said. "Even the ones who haven't caused any problems. Unless, of course, you can save them alive to make babies for you." I allowed them to hear my abject disgust.

"How do we tell who are the troublemakers and who are simply the untamed?" Grignus pointed out. "Either way, they have resisted the Coalition's authority. That makes them worthy of death."

"It does not!" I shot back. "You're talking about innocent lives here, who…"

"Lady Lorelai…" Ursis, clearly the most senior member of Council, raised his hands in a shushing motion. "We know this is difficult for you to accept, as we are speaking of your species, but, to us, humans are little different than the cattle we breed for food and hides, or the beasts of burden we utilize. Your kind decimated your planet. All of you would have perished from your own folly, had not the Coalition stepped in to rectify the matter and preserve your world. What did we ask in return? Compliance. Obedience. Little enough, correct?"

I felt myself bristle at being compared to cattle. I knew that was how they saw us—I did—but I guess I'd naively supposed some of the Asterions had moved beyond that notion.

"You've demanded more than that," I put in coldly. "What about your breeder's lists? You've taken our women too."

A few sideways glances at each other. This being the ruling body of the planet Asterion, they'd had to have approved the measure. I couldn't tell if they were a little ashamed or simply not used to being called out.

"Yes," the argumentative, younger Council member agreed, and there was a challenge in his tone. "The humans are a resource. We needed females. Humans are more closely akin to Asterions biologically than most species. We had to make use of the resources we possessed."

"I don't know why you would complain," Sirena interjected snidely. "It worked out in your favor."

I shouldn't have, but I shot her a wicked glare. "That is not what happened," I snapped. "I wasn't chosen off a breeder's list." Because I suspected jealousy on her part, I dug back, adding, "Ellax actually wanted to marry me."

"A-hem." Grignus cleared his throat loudly to interrupt the conversation. Too late. I'd seen the flash of sheer hatred in her eyes, and knew I'd touched a sore spot. My instincts were right. Whether Ellax knew it or not, Sirena had a thing for him, and she hated me for taking the spot she wanted.

Childish, but for the briefest moment I allowed myself to feel a thrill of victory at finally gaining the upper hand on at least one of these pompous aliens.

"This is all beside the point," Grignus went on, redirecting the conversation. "Whatever the reason behind you and Overlord Ellax's decision to marry, the Council needs you to remain married and, more than that, to present yourself as united and compatible."

"Why, to soften the blow to the humans when the strike force goes in there and starts butchering non-compliant people?"

"If you wish to describe it so harshly…yes."

I glared at him from across the circle. Beside me, my new alien husband put his palm on my leg. Heavy. Commanding. Comforting.

"That doesn't even make sense," I said coldly. "Also, why you think you could get me to go along with it is beyond me."

"Many things are beyond you, it seems," Sirena said cooly, running her fingertips lightly over the yellow trim on her robe. "We would not expect a human to understand the minutiae of governing a colony."

"Sirena!"

This time, Ursis jumped in before I could speak. "This is not helpful. Nor will you insult the wife of a Lead Advisor."

I watched Sirena's gaze flick to Ellax. Turning my head, I also looked at Ellax. We hadn't been together long enough to truly form an attachment. At least, not on my side. Nevertheless, the fire in his eyes was sheer hatred. Whether because by insulting me she'd insulted him, or because of the slight against me, he was murderous. He made no move to hide it either, snarling into the uncomfortable silence, "Recall your place, Council member. Lorelai is my wife . Insult her again, and I will have your position, your home, and your life."