Scerior

by Jilly Bowling

  Nodding in satisfaction Acorus turned back to watch the men who descended from the ships. The first to descend was the Russian, Polnakov, quickly followed by the Chinese head of state and the Japanese. Descending the ramp to the deck all three looked around in trepidation. The star ship was so big it overwhelmed them, and the rows of aliens was terrifying even to such powerful men.

  Acorus stayed where he was and let the humans come to him. As they came to stand in front of him he greeted them, in turn, in their own language “Welcome to my ship. Hopefully tonight we will be able to come up with a plan for the rescue of your southern hemisphere and then the rebuilding of your planet”.

  Then turning to Jo he introduced her to them “This is my Lady and future Queen of Scerior, Lady Jo-Anna. She will play an important role in the saving of your planet”.

  Jo bowed her head and said “Welcome” to each man.

  More fighters had landed so Acorus turned the first three over to a senior officer, to be taken to the grand chamber, usually reserved for the abducted girls. The next leaders were from the European countries and were treated in the same way as the first three. Then the President of the United States of America and the prime minister of Great Britain arrived at the same time.

  Greeting them in his flawless English Acorus led them to the main chamber. As they entered the babble of voices stopped and all turned to look at Acorus and Jo. Moving into the room Acorus invited all to sit and then asked if everyone understood English well. When everyone said that they did he carried on to tell them what was happening throughout their planet There were many questions which Acorus answered honestly. Then the American, President Jackson asked why they should believe him. They hadn’t seen any other aliens, only the monsters who were guarding him. Acorus asked why he should bother to lie, his force was superior to anything Earth had, he could turn the planet to dust if he wanted to.

  To stop the two alpha males from butting heads Jo intervened, Telling Jackson that he was out of order, but saying it diplomatically. Then Prime Minister Freeman spoke saying that it was obvious how much power the Sceriae wielded, and it was clear that General Acorus was there to help Earth so they should listen to him. Mollified Acorus pointed out that his guards were in body armour, and then ordered all Sceriae to remove their helmets, which they did to the human’s astonishment.

  Acorus told them that he too, usually wore armour when away from Scerior, for protection. Then he said that if they wanted to see a real alien monster he would oblige them. Asking them to follow him he led the way to the prison deck where he’d secured a Xenorii who had been captured. This time the ‘glass’ box he was in would not crack. As the humans entered the room the Xenorii lashed his ‘whips’ against the glass. There were gasps of horror from the humans, not only at the Xenorii but the Escorii who were questioning him. Jo had gone with them and she too was horrified when she saw the creature. But she had the sense to introduce the Escorii explaining who they were and what they contributed to life on Scerior. Smiling she told the men that these were the race that some humans had seen over the centuries.

  Turning away Acorus invited the men to eat with him and led the way to the officer’s mess. To Jo’s surprise a round table had been erected in the middle of the room.

  Acorus leaned towards her and said “Diplomatic, yes?”

  In the middle of the table was a giant lazy susan covered in dishes of food. The men sat down looking dubiously at the food, so Jo said “The food might appear strange but it is delicious and completely safe to eat, as is the wine”.

  Smiling and bowing the Japanese and Chinese premiers were the first to help themselves. They tasted the food and turning to their neighbours told them how tasty it was. After that everyone tried one dish or another. As the banquet progressed and the wine flowed talk became easier. Acorus and his officers told the men the history of Scerior and how they now protected their whole galaxy. Then they talked about the horror of the Xenorii and what they would be doing in the captured lands.

  At that point the premiers mostly, lost their appetite. When Acorus brought up the subject of rebuilding their countries there was silence. Looking round the table Jo saw blank faces. She guessed that a lot of these men had no idea how devastated Earth was. Acorus had realised that too, so he suggested that they follow him to his flight deck.

  As the men followed them Jo could see them casting glances at details of the star ship.

  Even after what they had just been told they were wondering how they could steal the Sceriae’s technology. When they stepped onto the flight deck, their faces registered their surprise. And when Acorus ordered the ship to move lower and skim slowly over all their countries, it seemed that they finally realised that they were out of their depth. Inviting each man to look down a viewer Acorus took them on a tour of their broken countries. As they travelled Acorus listed what was needed:

  Shelter for those who lived.

  Food and water.

  Burial of the dead.

  Removal of debris i. e)buildings roads, vehicles etc.

  Rebuilding of infrastructure, electricity, gas, oil, water,

  Organising work gangs and rebuilding army.

  The Sceriae would assist with all of the above and take care of medical needs. Disease was one thing that must be prevented at all costs, so all dead animals must be burned straight away and the Sceriae would take care of that. Acorus told them that the ten star ships about to join them were carrying large machines to help with the clearing of their dead cities. Some of these machines could grind cities into dust which would be taken to sites that needed building up or levelling.

  When asked about the bodies under the buildings, Acorus told them that they were dead, probably vaporised and did they want the few people remaining to die of the diseases dead bodies brought. As they saw more of the devastation caused by the Xenorii the premiers became very quiet. When Acorus thought that they’d seen enough he suggested they return to the main chamber. Once seated comfortably on chairs and sofas the American president said “We would all be grateful for your help, but we need to know what you want in return”.

  Jo put her hand on Acorus’s arm, worried that he would be angry but he laughed and said “What we wanted from Earth we have taken. Now we have many human females on our planet. We are grateful to those females for saving our race. Jo is human and the best thing that ever happened to me, so we wish to pay Earth back. Although I must warn you that I don’t approve of the way you humans fight and argue among yourselves. Maybe if you had concentrated more on getting on with each other, you would have put up a better fight against the Xenorii. If we are to rebuild your world you must agree not to fight each other. To help you work together I suggest that you look on the Sceriae as the final rule makers. We don’t want you planet of anything on it but I will not risk my soldiers if you are going to go back to how it was before!”

  When Acorus stopped speaking the premiers sat in stunned silence.

  Then Polnakov said “What you want is nearly impossible, our countries are so far apart ideologically there is no meeting point”.

  “Well unless you want the human race to go back to the stone age you will have to find one. Now it is time for you to return to your countries. Talk with your councils and give me my answer by midnight tomorrow. If the answer is no from just one country, I will leave your planet to its own devices. Goodbye” and taking Jo’s arm he turned and left the room.

  Belain left the room with them and once they were outside the room he said “Well, you really have put them on a spot”.

  Acorus replied “They needed a wake up call, pompous weak males”.

  Jo pursed her lips together and kept quiet. She could tell that he was angry and was wise enough not to make things worse. Making the excuse of ensuring that the Escorii were happy clearing up after the banquet, Jo let Acorus and Belain leave her at t
he officer’s mess. Once they had gone she hurried back to the room where the premiers were discussing Acorus’s ultimatum. As she entered the room the men were arguing among themselves.

  When they saw her they gradually became silent. The Sceriae officers whose job it was to take them back to the landing deck, looked surprised at Jo’s appearance. Speaking Sceria Jo ordered them to leave the room and wait outside until, she called them. Because they still had their helmets off their faces registered their surprise. Standing there with her head held high Jo stared at each one until they did as she had ordered. The most senior officer spoke as he reached Jo, “Lady, is this wise? The general will not be pleased that you are doing this”.

  “Wise or not, it is what I intend to do, so please do as I ask. The general’s anger will be with me not you!”

  Bowing his head he left the room closing the door behind him.

  Jo turned to the men, “I won’t have long because they will tell the General that I am here. He is very protective of me and will come here quickly. What I need you to understand is that Lord Acorus doesn’t make empty threats. If he doesn’t have a positive answer from you all, we will leave and Earth and all human life will be doomed. You have no idea of the horror the Xenorii will bring here. Think of your worst nightmare and triple it. I have seen what they do to weaker species, especially females and young males. I can tell you, if you trust the Sceriae they will never let you down. If life on Earth became a quarter as good as life on Scerior you would think you had found Utopia. Please instil in your people that your only chance of survival is to accept their help. There is nothing on Earth that they haven’t had for centuries. Of course that excludes human females. I have worked tirelessly for the last ten years to make sure that life is good for humans on Scerior and believe me it is. Lord Acorus is fair, kind and generous, but he is used to having total power. You have no idea of the technology he has at his fingertips. One order and Earth would be dust, his weapons are that powerful. Trust him and you won’t regret it”.

  At that moment the door opened and Acorus entered with Belain by his side. He took in the scene then turning to Jo he said “My Lady, you seem to have lost your way”. When she didn’t answer he carried on, “Come, my love, I’ll escort you personally to your quarters”.

  He put his arm out which Jo took.

  Then the British prime minister spoke “Lord Acorus, your Lady was just persuading us to listen, and believe what you say; you could not have a better ambassador. I think that we are all wise enough to accept your help, and I can understand why you think that you need to keep control of the situation. Hopefully working with us will make you think better of us; you will have affirmative answers before midnight”.

  Acorus looked from him to Jo and smiled “I had forgotten how persuasive my Lady could be. Good. I look forward to working with you” and he put his hand out to shake the prime ministers hand. As each premier left they shook hands and promised a speedy and affirmative reply.

  When the American president came to shake hands with Acorus he looked at Jo and asked “Will you be alright, young lady?”

  As Jo smiled and said “Of course”.

  Acorus’s face changed to a snarl “My Lady is my concern, not yours! I await your reply President Jackson”.

  As Acorus grasped his hand the American winced in pain. Jo put her hand on Acorus’s arm and squeezed saying “My Lord, I think that we will all work well together”.

  Acorus released the American’s hand and inclined his head. Jackson hurried out of the door after the other premiers. As they left the room, Acorus looked at Jo and said “You have once again, angered me”.

  “Well aren’t you the lucky one” Jo smirked.

  Laughing he picked her up in his arms and strode to their quarters.

  Earth needed rescuing and rebuilding but important things must come first.

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