by Carven, Anna
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“There’s a Special Alert.” Cleo frowned as she glanced down at her link. “We’re supposed to turn our Network Broadcast to the Fed Channel in two minutes.”
“When have Federation Broadcasts ever told us anything that has actually made our lives better?” Emmett ran a hand through his damp hair. After much convincing, the Kordolians had actually allowed him to go home and shower and change into a new set of clothes. “It’s probably just one of the President’s boring-ass speeches on how we all need to work harder and sacrifice a little more for the survival of the human race, you know, because we’re under constant threat of invasion, and if we pay more tax to the Federation that’s somehow going to make it all go away…” He glanced surreptitiously toward the front windows, where two heavily armed Kordolian guards stood watch like a pair of lethal alien gargoyles.
While their Kordolian guards busied themselves with security and other alien matters, and Alexis went off to do something or other at the perimeter, they were left with nothing much to do but wait. That’s why they were sitting at one of the tables in the main dining area, trying to make a plan for the possible re-opening of the Whisk and Pin. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking at this point, but they all needed something to keep themselves occupied—and sane.
Emmett and Cleo still got these weird looks on their faces from time to time; wide-eyed, shellshocked, as if they weren’t sure whether they were dreaming or not.
Sienna knew the feeling all too well. “Come on. Let’s go into the staff room and check out the broadcast. Might be good news for a change.” She was pretty sure it wasn’t, but it didn’t hurt to be an optimist.
They got out of their seats and went down the hall, past a couple more silent, stone-faced Kordolians, through her kitchen and into the small staff room beyond.
As they passed, Ikriss’s friend—the big guy called Nythian—appeared briefly in the kitchen and gave Sienna a curt wave, letting her know that he was around. For such a big guy, he was surprisingly good at becoming invisible.
“Show Network feed, Federation Channel,” Sienna commanded. The holo sprung up in the center of the room as Cleo and Emmett flopped down on the sofa.
“Welcome to the 259th Edition of the Official Federation Infocast. Your host for this stream is Ed Markey.”
Emmett groaned. “Not Ed again. He never goes against the official Federation position. Never asks hard questions.”
With his perfectly pressed Federation uniform suit, blond hair gelled and slicked back like a helmet, and eerily ageless face, Ed Markey looked more like an android than a human.
“Good evening, Federation Citizens.” His smooth baritone voice filled the room, managing to sound both reassuring and irritating at the same time. “And welcome to another enlightening infocast. We bring you this special broadcast live from the Pallas Athena Orbital Station, where a historic agreement has just been reached. Just moments ago, President Jiao concoluded negotiations with Lord Sturmbruk Agelus, the Kordolian Empire’s official envoy to Earth.”
Ed Markey was speaking in Universal. Sienna set the scrolling translator to English, just so she wouldn’t miss anything important. “What the hell?” She stared blankly at Ed’s smooth, slightly smiling, slightly creepy face. “The Empire’s gone.”
That’s what Ikriss had told her, and she completely believed him.
“We cross now to a live address by Lord Agelus himself, on behalf of the Kordolian Empire.”
The feed cut to a dark, imposing room with a wide window that looked out onto the glittering backdrop of space. Sienna recognized the smooth obsidian walls of a Kordolian ship. In the center was a sleek, dark desk.
And sitting at that desk was a Kordolian.
He looked weird.
After spending so much time around her Kordolian, that was the first conclusion Sienna reached. This Agelus guy was nothing like the Kordolians she was used to.
This alien wore a flowing white robes that were was decorated with intricately embroidered alien characters. His ears were pierced from tip to lobe with gold and glittering jewels, and his greyish hair was slicked back, revealing a sharp widow’s peak and a smooth high temple.
His eyes were deep yellow like Ikriss’s. That was where the similarity ended. Ikriss’s gaze was brilliant and expressive, running blisteringly hot or as cold as the Arctic, depending on his mood.
This guy’s eyes were just flat… almost reptilian.
Agelus was alien in a different kind of way; cold and inhuman and nothing like the warriors that had saved her and protected her. His features were sharp and angular, his expression aloof and distant even though he was trying to appeal to humans.
“Accept my greetings, humans of Earth.” Agelus’s voice was surprisingly nasal-sounding, at odds with his intimidating appearance. “I am Lord Sturmbruk Agelus the Third, High Lord of House Agelus, High Councillor, and now Special Envoy to Earth.” The corner of his lip curled slightly. “I trust this will be the beginning of a most fruitful and lucrative relationship. Kordolians and humans have much to gain from an alliance.” He paused for dramatic effect, steepling his fingers and leaning forward until his eyes became hooded with shadow. “But firstly, I must clear up a certain confusion. Ever since your kind encountered my kind, you humans have been living in fear. I will admit, so have I. You see, the ones that have captured your orbit-space—the infamous Tarak al Akkadian and his ilk—have inflicted the same terror upon my kind. Akkadian and his Darkstar Mercenaries are traitors to the Empire. They stole what was ours and terrorized our people.” His voice shook with emotion. “They killed my brothers and forced the rightful Lords of the Empire into exile. Do not believe their false promises of peace. They are vicious killers, highly trained in the arts of war and death. The most dangerous beings in the Nine Galaxies. See for yourselves what kind of depravity they are capable of… against their own kind.”
Abruptly, the holo switched to a night-scene; an aerial shot of a tall glass building. The trees in the background told Sienna that it was somewhere on Earth. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a smoking metal wreckage on the ground—a crashed ship. Warped grey steel peeled off its wings and body, revealing the sleek black form underneath. Was that a Kordolian ship? Smoke poured from the hull.
But that wasn’t what made Sienna gasp.
To one side of the ship, she could make out two figures.
The camera zoomed in.
She saw a man—no, Kordolian—lying on the concrete, scrambling backward, his features twisted into a look of pure terror.
And standing above him was an obsidian-armored figure.
His back was turned, but the sight of this man sent a ripple down her spine, raising goosebumps on her arms.
Lean, muscular, broad-shouldered, stalking forward with lethal intent…
Sienna would recognize him anywhere.
The camera zoomed in again, switching angles.
Ikriss.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Sturmburk Agelus’s words rang through her mind. They are vicious killers, highly trained in the arts of war and death. The most dangerous beings in the Nine Galaxies.
“Hey, isn’t that your…” Cleo’s voice trembled. Her eyes held fear and dismay.
At the sight of Ikriss, a torrent of emotion surged through Sienna. Warmth and affection mingled with dread. “That’s Ikriss. I think this could be a live stream. He went to get Eva, remember?” Her worry twisted into anger. What the hell was going on? How could the Federation put this on a broadcast? There was no context. Instead, this Agelus character was free to twist the narrative to suit his purposes. “He’s not going there to pick her up from a fucking tea party. Of course they’re going to run into enemies. And there’s no way these guys are going to let the bad guys just walk away and do it all over again. That would just be stupid, wouldn’t it?”
Cleo blinked. “You’re defending him?”
Sienna stuck her chin out. “You’re damn r
ight I am.”
A close-up of Ikriss’s face filled the screen. His silver skin gleamed in the darkness. For some reason that Sienna didn’t understand, his hair was shorter, hanging just past his ears. It was wild and tousled, contrasting with all his darkness and sharp angles. She could see the dark points of his horn-buds, only just breaking through the skin at his temples.
His eyes were pure fire. Not cold, but as brilliant and hot as a thousand burning suns.
He said something in Kordolian and drove the tip of his blade through his enemy’s left freaking eyeball.
The Kordolian on the ground screamed.
A warrior reached Ikriss’s side, and Sienna couldn’t tell who it was, because the menacing figure was fully armored from head to toe. He said something to Ikriss and looked up at the sky.
Ikriss followed his gaze, and for a moment, it felt as if the two of them were staring straight through the holo, and Sienna could understand how people that knew nothing about them would be absolutely terrified.
Two powerful warriors standing over their bleeding, screaming enemy, looking fierce and utterly alien as they stared up at the whole of humanity.
Then the Kordolian in the dark armor raised his gun and fired.
Intense blue light filled the holo, and then everything went black.
Silence.
Sienna looked at her friends. They were frozen in their seats. Emmett’s jaw had dropped. The color drained from his face. Cleo took a deep, shuddering breath.
Agelus materialized from the darkness, spreading his hands wide in benevolent gesture. “This is what we are dealing with, comrades. Vicious, merciless killers. They have the most powerful warfleet in the history of the Nine Galaxies at their disposal. They will stop at nothing to keep you under control. And why, do you ask? For what reason could they possibly be so interested in a humble planet such as Earth?”
Again, Agelus paused, staring dramatically through the holo. Sienna resisted the urge to sigh. This so-called High Lord was good at laying on the theatrics.
“The answer is females,” he said at last. “They want to steal away your females and breed them, because your kind and my kind just so happen to be genetically compatible. It is already happening as I speak. You may have heard rumors of women disappearing. Perhaps someone you know has been taken and imprisoned against their will, subjected to unspeakable horrors and depravities, and forced to bear offspring.” Agelus bared his fangs. “It will not stop until we fight back. That is why I urge you, citizens of Earth, to stand up and fight for your freedom. They are powerful, but so are we. Together, we can defeat the traitorous menace.”
Sienna took a step forward, pointing an accusing finger at Agelus. “Okay, now you know for sure he’s speaking bullshit.” She was almost shouting at the holo. “Our Kordolians don’t treat people like that. You duplicitous fucking bastard.”
Cleo and Emmett were staring at her as if she’d just grown a pair of horns.
“I… I don’t know what to think right now,” Emmett said cautiously.
“Join us and fight for freedom,” Agelus urged as the shot zoomed in for a close-up of his face. At last, there was a spark of emotion in his yellow eyes. The Kordolian pressed his fist against his chest. “I fight for my people. For my Empire. And above all, for my Lord Emperor, who holds the one and only true and rightful claim to the Imperial Throne.” He stood and bowed dramatically. “I serve Emperor Amun Kazharan, the firstborn son of Empress Vionn Kazharan.” Agelus rose in a flurry of white robes and flashes of gold. “Join us, citizens of Earth. When we defeat the usurpers and restore the Empire to its former glory, you will be granted full rights as subjects of the Kordolian Empire. Together, we will take our rightful place as rulers of the Nine Galaxies.” He bowed deeply.
Pompous ass.
His image flickered and disappeared, replaced with the sterile white studio on Pallas Athena.
Sienna gave Cleo and Emmett a sidelong glance. “Do you actually believe this crap?”
“It sounds too good to be true,” Cleo replied slowly. “You know I’m always careful when there’s some deal that sounds like you’re getting a lot for next to nothing… but what if the rest of it is true? I mean, the Kordolians that have, er, secured our area… they are quite dangerous, and we don’t really know what they want yet.”
“And he did actually impale a guy’s eyeball with his sword,” Emmett said.
“But he didn’t kill him,” Sienna countered.
“Not on screen, anyway.”
“Well, he probably deserved what was coming to him.”
Emmett gave her a strange look. “You’ve changed, my friend.”
Sienna folded her arms and glared. “Have they done anything bad to you since they got here? Have they abducted Cleo and forced her into one of these supposed terrible breeding programs? Does Alexis look like she’s terribly oppressed? Do I?” Now she was furious. She knew very well what her Kordolian was capable of. After all, Ikriss had never tried to hide anything from her. He would fight and even kill to keep her safe.
How dare they twist that and use it against him?
“Point taken,” Emmett said, sounding uncharacteristically meek. “But only because I trust you. And also because Zarken, despite being a grumpy old bastard, did not impale me in the eyeball with his sword when I was asking him a lot of annoying questions.”
Cleo snorted.
“Still,” Emmett continued, “I was doubting myself for a moment there. Imagine what the ordinary folk of Earth must be thinking right now.”
“There’s going to rioting in the streets again,” Cleo said dryly. “Where the hell is the President, anyway? Isn’t he supposed to make a speech to calm us all down or something?”
As the holo switched back to Ed fucking Markey for the post-Kordolian analysis, a weird little sensation danced down her neck.
A pleasant little shiver; the same sensation she got whenever Ikriss’s warm breath feathered her skin.
Her friends were staring at something behind her. They both looked a little bit horrified—as if they’d just seen a ghost.
Slowly, Sienna turned around, unable to shake that warm, tingly feeling.
Ikriss stood there in all his silver glory, and the very same golden eyes that had captured her through the holo were now burning right through her, turning her warm little tingle into an inferno, and she couldn’t focus on anything else.
Just him. She looked him up and down; took in his battle-armor, his messy longish hair, which fell to just past his ears—curiously, it wasn’t as long as before—and the tips of his horns, which were just starting to break through his skin.
What the hell happened to you, Ikriss?
He beckoned to her with one hand; a little imperious, a little demanding, a little impatient, and very possessive.
So very Ikriss.
“Come,” he rumbled. His eyes were locked onto her—only her—with that crazy Kordolian intensity. He paid no attention whatsoever to Cleo or Emmett. It was almost as if they didn’t exist.
There was an urgency about him; a sharp, crackling energy that infused into her, making her restless.
The heat was there again, pooling between her legs.
Stars, this man. All he had to do was say one word and she went weak at the knees.
“Ikriss…” she said, suddenly breathless. “Are you okay?”
“I will be fine.” He leaned in a little, letting his familiar scent wash over her. For some reason, he refrained from touching her. His expression softened. “I told you that you should not worry about me, but I know you will anyway.”
“Nobody else will. Not like I can, anyway.”
“Huh.” He shook his head.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re fine. I couldn’t help but worry. They’re telling all these lies about you and your guys on the broadcast.” She froze, worry gnawing at her insides. “Did you find my friend?”
“We have her. She is safe now.”
Sienna let out a
sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“No need.” Ikriss made a small, oddly formal bow. “I protect my clan. Let’s go, Sienna.”
In the background, Ed Markey was busy introducing his eight-member panel of intergalactic political analysts. One of them was an alien; an Avein with her elegant long black wings tucked behind her.
She glanced at her friends. “I’ll be back soon.”
Emmett looked at Ikriss, then at Sienna. He slumped back in the sofa and let out an exasperated sigh, making a little shooing gesture with his hand. “Go.”
Uncharacteristically subdued, Cleo gave her a solemn wave.
As if under a spell, she followed Ikriss as he ushered her away from the staff room; through the kitchen and the dining room and into the cold dawn outside.
He walked behind her, his hand grazing the small of her back, gently guiding her past the stern Kordolian guards who snapped to attention as he passed, reminding her that Ikriss commanded the full loyalty of these fierce warriors.
He didn’t say a word as they walked outside onto the empty street, which was covered in a light dusting of snow. The sky was fading, turning from deep purple to pale lavender.
Hyper-colored neon holo-ads burned fervently in the aerial street above, their oversaturated hues flickering through the snowflakes that drifted down from the sky.
The scene was surreal and utterly beautiful.
She’d never seen her city in this light before.
Ikriss led her to a spot where the air shimmered ever so slightly, like a heat mirage in the desert. He uttered a single command in Kordolian.
The mirage wavered and disappeared, and suddenly it was replaced with the dark interior of a Kordolian ship.
“C-cloaking?” she asked weakly, shaking her head. There was a Kordolian cruiser parked right in the middle of the street—her street—and it was fully invisible.
