Devotion

by Harmony Raines

  “You mean the alternative would be for them to have been killed? Murdered?”

  “It could have been done. I am sure the Hier Ruler is capable of anything to protect the planet. As he should be. The fact that the President was in on this has compounded the danger.”

  “And yet the President is still the President and you still have to deal with him.”

  “There is no direct proof. And what if there was? We could not assassinate him. Could we?” Although Okil would have volunteered for the job.

  “No,” Tikki conceded. “Although information Charlie’s parents have, may be enough to implicate him. Enough for him to be charged.”

  “With what? Do you think killing an alien race is covered in your Earth laws?” Okil asked. “I expect the Karal are judged to be lower than your skims by some humans.”

  “It should be the law. But I expect you are right.” She looked sad, and he wanted to comfort her, it was a harsh truth, but she needed to understand.

  “We cannot live by what should be.” Okil said.

  “So you just remove the people who can actually perfect the virus?”

  “This way is best. I think the Hier Ruler intends to extract any information they may have about the development of the virus. The chip only held half the data. Charlie’s parents bargained with the other half.”

  “Extract the information?” Tikki was shocked.

  “Yes, we need to know everything.” He placed his hand on her arm; letting calm sensations run from him into her. “I know it’s hard to understand.”

  “No. I get it. I just can’t see why Sienna didn’t destroy the data and end this.”

  “From what I have been able to discover, she hoped that there would be a way to expose the President and the resistance. Unfortunately there was no one willing to listen.”

  “And so they ended up dead. Sienna and Charlie’s Funny Daddy.”

  “Yes. The corruption ran deep and once it was known she had Charlie and the data, they were hunted.” And murdered.

  “And Charlie’s parents?”

  “They kept the other half of the data, because the information is tradable. As you can see. It is the only reason they are being offered an escape from their life on Earth.” Charlie’s parents hadn’t taken long to accept the offer from Karal. In the details of the mission objectives, Okil had seen, there was a brief explanation of how desperate the two humans were. They were to be approached with caution. And only brought to Karal if they were considered mentally stable. If not, Charlie would be an orphan.

  “You think after all they went through, being separated from Charlie, everything … that they would still make the virus viable?”

  “If they were cornered, they may well have handed it over to the President.” In Okil’s mind, there was no maybe. If the President or the resistance found them first, the Karal would be in terrible danger. That is why he had to leave now.

  He kissed her. “Be safe, I will be back tomorrow.”

  She flung her arms around his neck and held him tight. “I am glad this is the last time you are going to go to Earth.”

  “In a way, so am I. But only because the Hier Council has asked me to continue to oversee the deep space missions. That will keep me busy here, and I can at least make sure that all of Earth’s and Karal’s needs are met.”

  “I’ll miss you.” She kissed him fiercely and he knew she wanted him to stay, and part of him wanted to stay too. A very large part, that was concerned that this was some trick by the Hier Council: that he was going to his death and he would never see Tikki again.

  “Stay close to Elissa. Until I’m back I don’t want you or Charlie to be alone. Do you understand?” He hated frightening her like this. Never before had he mistrusted his people or its rulers. But he had to agree with Tikki, this was unusual behaviour, particularly for the Hier Ruler.

  “I will,” she said, stepping back and letting him go. “We plan to clean the rooms in the breeding house where Charlie’s family will live.”

  “Yes. It is one thing for them to be brought here, but another for them to be given any kind of freedom. And once the colony does go ahead, that is where they will live. This is a short-term solution. I think it is only because Lytril wishes to have people on the new planet who are scientists, and not loyal to Earth alone, that he has allowed it. After the way they have been treated by the Earth government, he hopes they will be loyal to him. If we can get them off Earth without them being intercepted.”

  “Be careful, Okil.”

  And then he went to the space cruiser, turning once to wave goodbye to her before he joined three other Karalians on board. Torac, the Hier Commander, was travelling back to Earth. The other two were guards; he recognised Drak and Rahcol, and felt easier. If they were planning to assassinate him, he would have expected guards he didn’t know, maybe even of the warrior class. It took a lot to kill a fellow Karalian.

  The journey was quick; they had prior clearance to land at the airport. The whole premise of the trip was for Okil to give a personal answer to the President on the subject of the Karal supplying space cruisers for Earth’s use. He knew the President would not like the answer, but it was a diversionary tactic. While Okil was having his head chewed off about the cruisers, the other three were going to extract Charlie’s parents.

  They had been located

  A soon as he was finished, Okil was to make his way back to the cruiser where hopefully the others would be waiting. Then they would take off and journey straight back to Karal. It still surprised Okil that the council was taking this risk, but then there was no other alternative. The only way to stop this virus becoming a reality was to take the people who were capable of developing it.

  “We rendezvous here in two hours. I don’t care how you do it, Okil, but you finish your meeting and get back here so we can leave. The longer we are on the ground, the more danger we are in.”

  “What about the humans? Are you going to remove their tags?” Okil asked, wondering if they needed a med kit to take with them.

  “No. That has already been taken care of. The tags were destroyed when they escaped the resistance. They have been living like wild animals in the wilderness for months. I shudder to think what they look and smell like.”

  “I am pleased you have not lost your compassion, Hier Commander.” Okil smiled to himself at the look of disgust on Torac’s face.

  Torac made a derisory noise at the thought, and then lowered the ramp for Okil. As soon as he was on the ground, the ramp was closed. They were going to drive through the city streets and out into the countryside for the pickup. If they were asked their business, they were to say that they were collecting soil samples for the scientists on Karal to analyse. The more information they had, the easier it would be to find a new Earth. It sounded plausible, as long as no one delved too deep into their mission.

  As the cruiser rumbled over the rough tarmac and onto the road, Okil hoped they would be here waiting for him when he came back or whether his punishment might be to be stranded on Earth instead. That would not happen. The council might not see him as particularly valuable, but they would never leave a Karalian at the mercy of Earth. Especially now that there was the very real threat of the virus.

  Making his way across the city, he hurried to the Presidential Palace. It always made him uncomfortable to gaze on the green grass through the bars of the gate leading into the home of the President. It was opulent, such a contrast to the city outside the gates. Worse was the knowledge that the President spent little time there; he had a pent in one of the Oxydomes, a fact that he kept very quiet. But the Karal’s probes had watched and monitored him enough to know that was where he spent most of his time.

  Okil showed his ID to the guard, who took it and then phoned through to the palace. Okil was then asked to stand in front of an image scanner, and only when the control went green did the gates open to allow him in. That was the first of three security checks. Okil was used to them, although he ofte
n wondered whom it was the President was protecting himself from.

  Did he ever suspect the Karal? If he didn’t, now might be a good time to start. Okil knew the council too well. Lytril, especially, would have a festering wound where this betrayal was concerned.

  “Okil. So pleased to see you again.” The President came to meet him, hand outstretched, Okil shook it politely, hating the coldness of the human’s flesh in his. “I hope you bring me good news. We are running out of time.”

  “I understand. And that is why the Hier Council have decided to move forward the deep space mission. The first weekly lottery will be made up of females who fit the mental and physical conditions for the mission.”

  “I see. But that does not answer my question,” the President replied, flashing a false smile. “You would make a first-class politician, Okil. If you ever need a job, you know where to find me.”

  “My loyalty will always be to Karal.”

  “But is Karal loyal to you? I only ask because you have never been rewarded with a female, have you?”

  Okil was unsure where this was heading, and he felt uncomfortable. Did the President know about Tikki? It was more than possible the President had been tracking the movements of all Karalians on the planet, and his fear for Torac and the others intensified. It would be quite a coup for the President to arrest the Hier Commander for kidnapping.

  How had Charlie’s parents been found? With no tags, Torac could be on the way to pick up an imposter and they would never know. Until it was too late. Did they have the virus prepared, was this the first move against Karal? Okil felt the air grow heavy. Despite oxygen being piped into the room, it was stale and flat.

  He fought to control his colours. They wanted to pour across his skin; liquid fear flowed through his veins.

  “When I have completed my duties, I will be rewarded. My time away from Karal, visiting Earth, would make it impossible to for me to be with a female. Although that may change. I have been given the honour of helping with the mission to find you a new planet.”

  “I would celebrate with you. But I want the ability for my people to travel the universe and find their own home. Do you think it fair for us to put our fate into the hands of another species?”

  “That is why your females are participating on the missions. Mr President, that is the terms of our agreement.”

  “Your terms. Exactly.” He paused before continuing. “When you first came here, we were so in awe of the Karal. Lately though, we feel taken advantage of. My government has been discussing it at length and we feel that the only way for our species to work together is if you share your technology in the same way we have shared our women.”

  Okil understood the implications. “Are you saying that you will withdraw from the lottery?”

  “I never said that exactly, did I? Now, Okil, do not put words into my mouth. I may have to sue you for defamation of character.” He grinned widely, and Okil knew he was playing a game of cat and mouse with a master. He had to get out of there soon.

  “I will convey your message to the Hier Council. I do not have the authority to make negotiations that in any way concern our technology.”

  “And that has been our problem all along, hasn’t it, Okil? You are just the messenger.” He clapped Okil on the back good-naturedly. “So you run home now and tell your Hier Ruler, that the next time the Karal want to discuss terms, they send the organ grinder and not the monkey.”

  “Thank you for your time, Mr President,” Okil said, keeping his emotions in check. He could not let his colours free. If he did his face would be black, and death might visit the President of Earth by the hands of its greatest protector.

  Chapter Thirty – Tikki

  She waited anxiously; there had been no news all day. Maybe that was to be expected. Or maybe something had gone seriously wrong. All she knew was each minute without Okil, without knowing he was safe, was a minute too long.

  “He’ll be OK,” Elissa said, coming to sit beside her. “He is the bravest person I know. So many times he could have simply left us humans to our own devices.”

  “I agree. When I first came here, it was Okil who looked after me,” Evie said. “Ishk took a while to come around to having a human female around.”

  “How are things now between you all? I know it must be difficult.” Tikki felt a large amount of guilt for bringing this on them. The scene in the council chamber had been hard; she hoped there was no lasting permanent damage done to the women’s relationships.

  “Oh, they get over it. The baby kicked for the first time yesterday, and Lytril was ecstatic,” Vanessa said.

  “You must be worried too, Celia. About Torac going to Earth,” Tikki said.

  “I have learned that the Karal have a way of looking after themselves.” Then she turned and looked up at the sky as something bright flashed across it. “We’re about to find out. That was a cruiser. I’m sure it must be them.”

  “Charlie,” Tikki called, “We should get you cleaned up.”

  “Why?” the boy said, coming over with dirt smeared across his face from digging in the dirt. They had been weeding the garden that Evie had begun to plant when she was going to live here.

  “Because we will be eating soon.” She did not intend to tell him his parents might be arriving on Karal at any moment. It would be awful if they hadn’t been able to locate them, and Charlie would be so disappointed. Just as Tikki would be if they weren’t on the cruiser. Okil had been convinced they had been found and it was just a matter of smuggling them off Earth. And he had done that before.

  Charlie stood patiently while she sponged his face, and then they had some refreshments while they waited. The cruiser had become visible briefly, and then it had disappeared as it flew lower. She could only imagine the furore of getting Charlie’s parents out of the airport. Okil had mentioned a debriefing by the Hier Ruler himself.

  “If they do have to talk to Lytril,” Vanessa said, “they will be ages. He does like to make himself clear.”

  “Do you have any idea why he has allowed them to come here?” Elissa asked, without mentioning names. They had all been very careful not to talk too much about the situation in front of Charlie, but they were all desperate to know the reasons behind the Hier Ruler’s change of heart towards Charlie’s parents.

  “Even now, he is a law unto himself. I’m sure he has something planned but he doesn’t tell me.” She watched Charlie and smiled. “I would like to think it was because he saw Charlie and thought of the child I am carrying. But I don’t think so.”

  “They’re here.” Vanessa got up and dusted herself down; the others did the same and then followed her to the entrance of the breeding house.

  Tikki held out her hand to Charlie, and walked with him, trying not to let on how nervous she felt. In his arms, he still clutched the old teddy, now neatly sewn up. Who would have guessed the secrets one stuffed bear could hold?

  The cruiser drove in to the courtyard, and halted. Tikki’s breath did the same, catching in her throat. Then she let it out as the ramp came down and Okil walked down into the courtyard. He was safe, she wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him, but she couldn’t, not yet. Because beside her Charlie stood, clutching her hand, and her heart began to sink. His parents were not on board.

  “Mommy,” he said quietly, and Tikki looked down at him, thinking he meant her. But he wasn’t looking at Tikki mommy; instead, he was looking at the ramp and the dishevelled woman who was coming down it, her hair all wild, her clothes torn. “Mommy,” he said more loudly and then he loosed her hand and ran forward, weaving in amongst the legs of the other women to dash towards his real mom.

  The woman bent down and scooped him up, holding him close to her chest, and then a man appeared too, putting an arm around both of them and burying his head in Charlie’s chest as he sobbed.

  The courtyard fell silent. All eyes on the three members of a family united at last. Then Celia sobbed too, heart wrenching as she put her
hand over her mouth and cried at the sight. Torac, who had come down to join them, went to her and held her close.

  “Are you unwell?” he asked.

  “No. I just miss my family so much.” He held her, kissing her head as she cried. There were no words to comfort her. The Karal were not suddenly going to start bringing other family members to Karal. However, once the colony was set up, then Celia’s family might be chosen to live there and she might see them again.

  Tikki went and put her hand in Elissa’s. “I’m so happy we are both here.”

  “Me too, little sister. Me too.”

  Chapter Thirty-One – Okil

  He saw her across the courtyard. She smiled and waved, and all Okil wanted to do was take her in his arms. But he had to be patient; first they had to get Charlie and his parents settled here. The Hier Council had been adamant that the small family would not be able to leave the compound of the breeding house. His only surprise was the knowledge that the council had decided to install a scientific lab here. For what purpose he didn’t know. But he could guess.

  “Okil,” Darl called.

  “Darl. Hello, Reja. I hadn’t expected you to be here.” Okil hugged Reja warmly. “I am pleased you two have been kept out of this.”

  “Thank you, Okil. And thank you for your part in me being on Karal,” Reja said. “It has been so much more than I could ever have imagined.”

  Darl’s face went a deep shade of blue, and Okil laughed. “Why don’t you go and see Elissa and Tikki? They can introduce you to everyone else.”

  “I will see you in a moment, Darl.” Reja kissed his cheek and then went over to Tikki and an ecstatic-looking Elissa.

  Okil looked at his friend. “I think having a female at home agrees with you, Darl.”

  “Yes. Thank you, Okil. Although I was called before the council while you were away. I assume our stories are the same or else I think we’ll be under arrest.” Even while he talked to Okil, Darl’s eyes followed Reja wherever she went.