by Jade Waltz
“Why?”
“Because it is the right thing to do. Just as you can’t walk away from those in need even though you would rather do research, I can’t keep watching you struggle with your patients.”
“I would like that.”
He smiled—the first smile I had ever seen on him. Surprisingly, he looked very handsome when he wasn’t in his default grumpy state.
His medium-green skin faded to lighter green on his chest and along the inside of his limbs. Gray stripes created attractive lines on his limbs, highlighting his muscles and giving the illusion of strength. His grey anemone-like hair paired with his smile made him look approachable, perhaps even playful.
“Great!” He stood, grabbing the cups. “I will put these in the dirty bin by the drink dispenser and take my leave. Your shift is coming up and I have taken enough of your time.”
Six
USTHU
Yesterday could have gone better.
I didn’t understand why our mentors were so harsh with Kaica. She had done the best she could with what she had without training on the finer details of our biology.
The Aldawi hadn’t known what to do with Xylo and Odelm and had been more concerned about the change of command than two Circuli bleeding out on the throne room floor. From what I had gathered, Sovereign Zirene had sent all his soldiers to pursue Selena and they had nearly trampled the fallen.
We were lucky Kaica had arrived when she did and taken over, or neither would be alive right now.
I needed to apologize for Xylo’s fathers and make it up to her somehow. She may not be my nestqueen, but she was a coworker and a female—which meant she deserved respect.
It wasn’t fair that the love they had for their sons was blinding them to her value.
Walking into the infirmary with a drink in hand, I was surprised to see Kaica sitting at Xylo’s desk with her head laid on her crossed arms instead of her usual spot in the lab. Her translucent silver hair formed a curtain over her shoulders, hiding her teal-scaled shoulders.
She had fallen asleep during her shift.
The stress of the situation had finally gotten to her.
Glancing at our patients’ readings posted on the wall display, I sighed. They were still stable; everything was alright.
There was no use in waking her up, not when I was here to take over the shift. Soon, the others would arrive to make a plan to correct the patients’ backs.
Placing my drink on my desk, I grabbed an extra blanket from the infirmary closet and draped it over her shoulders. I knew demihuman temperatures ran cooler than ours and in my experience with dealing with Selena, they got cold quickly.
Carefully, I stepped back and retrieved my drink, turning toward the office door.
Chyox stood in the doorway, stunned, looking at me as if I had done something wrong.
His violet thread touched my mental shields, requesting to speak. Instantly—and almost instinctively after all the years I’d worked side by side with him—I accepted, knowing he wanted a private connection.
“What happened to her?” he demanded, his mental voice strained with worry. “I don’t see a nestqueen thread between the two of you, so you aren’t hers. What are your intentions?”
“I walked in to find her like this. Knowing how much pressure she has been under lately adjusting with the new environment, I didn’t want to wake her.”
“So you haven’t asked her to be your nestqueen?”
I sipped my drink as I tried to piece together why he was suddenly interested in whether I was involved with a female.
“You want her, don’t you?”
He stepped back, shocked that I had dared to ask him such a personal question, even though he had broached the subject first.
“Something about her is… appealing.” He glanced at Kaica’s sleeping form behind me. “I can’t keep her out of my thoughts. Every time I remind myself that she isn’t Circuli, I only reinforce how much I don’t want her to be.”
“So you are only attracted to her because she isn’t Circuli?”
“I didn’t say that,” he snapped, angry red tinting his coloring. “I didn’t know that there could be a female with such a great understanding of the universe. She may not be Circuli, or as old as us, but I have always wanted a nestqueen with her character.”
“Even though she is not only a demihuman, but a member of the Fab Five? You know she could probably flay us in our sleep without waking us, right? That doesn’t scare you?”
“Should it? Probably.” He shrugged, walked over to a lobby’s couch, and sat down. “She doesn’t scare me as much as her siblings do. I wouldn’t even think of the possibility that any of them might accept me. Besides, if I am honest, the underlying danger surrounding her only adds to her allure. I would never have to worry about her safety while I am away. If we ever need to fight side by side, she could probably take care of us both. I know it’s unnatural for us to be the one who needs protection instead of doing the protecting even outside of the Warrior Caste, but she is not a Circuli. The Fab Five has grown a repetition in the galaxy to be feared of, and deserves it, but working beside Kaica, I have learned she isn’t some crazed female who is always on the attack—she is much more. We need to stop looking at her as such and view her as an individual. Kaica doesn’t need us to be her shield physically, but we can still guard her mentally from the universe.”
I followed his lead, sitting across from him with my drink in hand.
“Since you are open with me, I shall be open with you. I am looking for the best time to approach her. I’m wondering whether I need to offer her a gift like her people do when they are interested in someone. Or do I try to send signs that I want her and push her to invite me into her clan?”
“That is what I am wondering too.”
“What if she only wants one of us? Her sister, Bryeca, seemed interested only in Qraniebi. If Kaica doesn’t want a large clan like Selena, then I don’t want us to compete to be her nestmate. The last thing we need is hurt feelings and awkwardness within our team.”
“Then what should we do?”
“We can try to wait until things get better,” I suggested, even though waiting didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t want to be patient, left wondering for an extended period; I would rather ask her and deal with her reply. “Or we can approach her together and see what she wants.”
“Are you willing to accept whatever she decides? Even if she only picks one of us?”
“Of course, but I hope we become nestbrothers instead.”
Seven
KAICA
Sounds of shuffling filled the air, waking me from my slumber.
Yawning, I stretched and opened my eyes, shocked at my surroundings.
No. No. No.
I wasn’t supposed to fall asleep during my shift and here I was, taking a nap on the job. Jumping to my feet, I noticed something drop from my shoulders. Glancing around, I was surprised to find a silver infirmary blanket pooled on the floor.
Rushing through the office door, I found the princes and the whole healing team, minus Oeta, in the infirmary lobby.
“What did I miss?”
Z’fir sent me a gentle smile. “V’dim and I are swearing in the new additions to our mental web.”
“You are going to let them join without warning them about the consequences?” I demanded, clenching my fists.
“It’s not your prerogative to question them,” Yuwal, the dark-purple Ulax, snapped. “You should know your place.”
“As should you,” V’dim hissed at Xylo’s father. “Kaica is within her rights to ask.”
“Kaica, we have already warned them about our situation,” Z’fir said, glancing between our senior medical team. “They don’t have much choice but to join if they want to remain on the team. Working in proximity to a foreign mental web will cause them headaches and, if exposed for a long time, permanent mental damage.”
“That’s news to me,” I muttered. “I'll redr
ess our patients' wounds while you do… whatever you have to do. I’m sorry I even asked.”
I left the lobby without another thought to the males’ opinions.
It was odd being one of few females in a group of males. I didn’t know if their differing species or gender was causing the frustrating tension, but I was over it.
They could have their private Circuli gathering.
Grabbing my premade tray of medical supplies and medpen, I approached Xylo and mentally prepared for the gruesome sight ahead.
Odelm’s merchant fathers left with the princes to pick a location for their new warehouse, leaving me alone with my Circuli teammates in the infirmary. Oeta was missing, which I expected since her solo night shift began tonight.
I didn’t know if I was being overly sensitive, but I suspected they were all holding a mental conversation without me. Pausing every so often, I had witnessed their gazes meet surreptitiously and had even caught them exchanging small gestures. The evidence added to my conclusion they weren’t treating me fairly.
Xylo’s fathers had stopped me from rebandaging both of the patients because they wanted to fix my mistakes in hopes of brightening their sons’ future.
Rolling my eyes, I sent a prayer to the Stars I didn’t want to believe in for the strength not to verbally attack my coworker’s mentors. They were lucky I wasn’t one of my sisters—or worse, Kaede—because any of them would have pulled a blade.
Glancing up from my station, I watched Chyox cross the room, grab a tub of healing gel, and pass it to Suvax, our charcoal Wudox teammate.
Slamming my tablet casing closed, I stood from my stool and faced the room.
“I don’t understand what is happening here, but one thing is for sure; before they arrived, we always spoke out loud. If you are going to make this infirmary a Circuli-only club, then I will gladly take the night shifts so I don’t ever have to cross paths with either of you.”
“Kaica, we—” Chyox began.
“Why are you trying to limit our natural abilities?” Suvax demanded. “It is not our fault you are a shielder.”
“Nor is it mine!” I growled. “If you haven’t realized, this moon houses about the same number of demihumans as Circuli, and combined, we are a mere fraction of the number of Aldawi at the academy. I’ve had it with your exclusivity. If this is how this workplace is going to be, count me out. I’ve had to deal with too much toxicity in my life to accept more.”
Grabbing my things, I stormed out of the infirmary.
“Kaica! Wait!” Chyox yelled, his voice cut off by the sliding door.
Curse them! No wonder they were all unbonded males. Who would want to be permanently bound to toxic, discriminatory, sexist males?
I wanted to believe Chyox supported me, but a part of me wondered if he would always pick his mentors’ side.
Perhaps I needed to request that Oeta work permanently during the day and I take every night shift, so I didn’t have to deal with them. Honestly, it sounded nice. I was used to working long hours at night with no one around to bother me.
A message notification from IZO popped up on the bottom of my field of vision.
< WHAT HAPPENED? - OETA >
I nearly stumbled, catching myself with one hand on the wall.
How the Stars had she gotten access to IZO?
< THE SOVEREIGN GAVE ME YOUR ACCESS CODE SO WE CAN TALK PRIVATELY. - O >
That made sense. Z could send and receive private messages through our AIs. The family network was our version of mind speak.
I paced to my room, surprised no one had followed me. A sense of sadness and disappointment flooded me. I thought I had meant something to Chyox and Usthu, even just as coworkers. For them to side with their mentors, spoke against everything I thought we had built together.
I had even entertained the idea of becoming close friends and even their nestqueen. However, if they could treat me like this, I questioned my judgment of character.
< DON’T DO ANYTHING DRASTIC. LET ME TALK TO THEM. GO REST AND EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY.>
Easier said than done.
Sighing, I entered my room, wondering how to proceed. I decided to sleep on it and speak with Z in the morning.
Eight
CHYOX
I had messed up once again, right after I thought I had had a breakthrough with Kaica.
The air thickened, reminding me of Sovereign Zirene’s oppressive aura, suffocating me by enveloping my body like a heavy blanket. Yet, this felt different, more directed perhaps, traveling from healer to healer throughout the room.
It couldn't be the Aldawi ruler, could it? He would have paged us before he appeared.
Unless he had and Kaica had been the one to answer. She was closest to him and a loyal soldier. There was no reason for him to reach out to either of us when he worked with her.
I prayed to the Stars he wasn’t storming over here.
The infirmary’s door slid open, revealing an enraged Oeta filling the room with her demanding fuchsia presence.
I didn’t even need to read her aura to catch her anger as she spread her wings wide, making her appear massive. Her fuchsia glow burned so brightly, it blinded me, drowning out the black color of her skin.
I couldn’t look away; she demanded my attention.
Beyond Sovereign Zirene, I had never experienced such power. I had thought it was only possible for royal Aldawi.
“I am going to ask you what happened once, but know that I’ve already put the pieces together. There is no use lying to me.” The weight of her fuchsia gaze burned me as she scanned the room. “Out loud—no mind speak.”
“Kaica got upset when she noticed we were speaking over our group connection instead of including her in the conversation,” Usthu replied. “I didn’t anticipate how angry she’d be.”
“She has every right to be angry—and hurt, too,” she snarled. Turning her attention to Xylo’s fathers, she stepped closer. “Let me make this clear. I am older than both of you combined. I can also turn your minds to mush with a thought.”
I feared for my mentors.
They were stubborn and would only bend their will for the Queens.
Oeta wasn’t Circuli, nor was she our Queen, so it was natural for Xylo's fathers to challenge her.
"You wouldn't dare—"
"I don't have to dare. So try me. I promise, if you want to go head to head with me, I will defeat you," Oeta chuckled, her voice laced with malice I never thought her capable of. "Right now, your son and his nestbrother are recovering in the other room thanks to the female you’ve chased out. If not for her, they might not even be here, because Aldawi doctors on Z’s staff never studied Circuli biology and were more concerned with their new Sovereign than your patients.
“Instead of treating their savior with the respect that she deserves, you pull a pompous stunt that might have ruined your working relationship forever. You do know who she is, right?"
"A young demihuman healer," Suvax replied, his voice dripping with annoyance. “What’s so special about that?”
"I am sure you’ve heard of the Fab Five. Once they get wind of this, you better be begging for forgiveness."
I turned to my mentors, hoping a warning from me would steer them away from their misguided behavior. "The Fab Five are Sovereign Zirene's personal team of assassin sisters. Kaede, also known galaxy-wide as the Black Hole, is their brother. The female demihuman that you insulted was their medical specialist. She recently settled on Destima to supervise your son and his nestbrother and eventually aid Xylo and Oeta’s fertility research."
"She is also considered one of Selena's sisters," Usthu added. "Who is not only your sons’ nestqueen, but the Aldawi Beacon. So, I advise you to treat her, and any female you come across here, with the respect that you would bestow upon your Queens. On Destima, Selena is yours."
"How can that little female hold so much importance?" Yuwal sputtered. "I can still hardly believe that a mere demihuman is the Queen of this moon.
"
"Even if she weren’t Queen or the empire’s Beacon, she is your sons’ nestqueen," Oeta growled, jerking a hand toward the unconscious patients. "You don't understand anything I’m saying, do you? Are you so stuck in your ways that you are resistant to change? You came to Destima knowing full well that things around here would be run differently than on Circul. Instead of adjusting to the culture, you are trying to enforce your rules through your old students. Guess what?” She chuckled, leaning forward.
“You're not the ones in charge here—your son is. I can easily tell Sovereign Zirene that you are trying to take over the infirmary, that he ordered built, because you were revered back home and refuse to let others take charge. While I respected your experience and what you’ve done for your species, this impression has overridden my original assessment. This will be your only warning on your behavior towards the team. Slip up again and I will personally reach out to Sovereign Zirene and get you banned from Selena’s sanctuary. Your toxicity isn’t welcome here.”
My mentors stared at her with their mouths agape, unable to reply. Yuwal’s coloring had turned to a worried orange, his grey stripes now a stressed black as yellow nervousness tinted his fins.
Good. They deserved to be scared out of their minds.
Once they had left the Circuli Queens’ mental web, they were forever cast out. That was the price we had paid when we chose to search for a new planet to start over. As males, our princes had done an astonishing job creating a mental web to house the crew members who dared to travel with us.
They had known the consequences before they decided to relocate.
If Sovereign Zirene discovered what had been happening here and indeed banished my mentors from Destima, they would be lost without a Queen to anchor them. A free Circuli male decayed much quicker than a mated male outside the range of his nestqueen.
They would die a lonely and painful death, probably before Xylo and Odelm woke from their healing stasis.
