by T. J. Quinn
Ethan and his men nodded and followed the other man into a huge room. He wasn’t surprised to see several guards posted at the door and scattered around the room. The Dreshanians clearly took their safety very seriously.
King Sefeth looked pretty much like the other men in the room, but unlike the others, he was wearing a dark red tunic. Something similar to a metal crown adorned his forehead, but his presence didn’t ooze the strength or the power a king usually did.
Debauchery and lust had strangely marked his face. It made Ethan relate him to historical Earth figure, Emperor Caligula. A man that indulged in every pleasure and vice he saw fit.
Vlyse introduced them to the king, and he welcomed them to the planet.
“Take your time to explore our home. Vlyse will arrange for you to visit one of our empty colonies. I’m sure you’ll love it,” the king said, after some inconsequential chitchat. “We have already several colonies living here, though none from your home planet,” he added.
“Yes, Vlyse was telling us about it,” Ethan replied.
“He will give you all the details, but you will soon find out that other than following a few simple rules, we don’t make that many demands on our tenants,” the king added.
“That sounds great,” Conrad replied, standing next to Ethan.
“Please, enjoy your stay with us,” the king dismissed them.
Chapter Four
Vlyse quickly guided them out of the meeting room and down a hallway. “I’ll show you to the guest quarters, where you can get some rest before the night meal. I’ll take you on a tour through the colonies tomorrow,” he explained, as they walked.
“Thank you, that sounds great,” Ethan nodded, sure he wanted nothing to do with these people, but for some reason, he was sure Gyeon would feel quite at home.
He owed his client to check everything, even if he didn’t agree with his client’s choices.
Vlyse took them to an enclosed area of the palace where they all got their own private suite. A couple of armed guards were posted outside the area, discouraging any private exploration the crew might have wanted to do. Though he hadn’t checked, Ethan was sure the windows were either locked or gave access to nowhere.
“I’m sure the king will invite you all to join him at night feast, so, I’ll be back for you in a few hours. The servants will provide you with whatever you need, including a more suitable outfit for the occasion,” the council member indicated before he left.
Conrad and the rest of the men entered Ethan’s quarters, but before they were able to open their mouths, Ethan raised his hand stopping them.
He walked around the room, looking for a window, and when he found it and opened it, it led to a small balcony, common to all the rooms in the area. The balcony looked out to one of the city exterior walls, and as he had suspected, it would be complicated for his men to use it to leave the building. It was at least, thirty feet above the ground.
But at least, they would have a bit more privacy there. “Speak through our private channel and act as if you are admiring the views,” he instructed his men, using the private communication channel he and his men had, as cyborgs. “Khalil, James, can you hear us?”
“Yes, boss, loud and clear,” James informed.
“Good,” Ethan nodded.
“Do you think they are spying on us?” Lewis asked, looking around.
“I’m sure of it. I don’t trust them, and if we were looking for a place for us, I would leave immediately,” Ethan started saying, and Conrad concluded his thought.
“But Gyeon might enjoy the company of these people.”
“Exactly. So, let’s play by their rules, find out all there is to know about this place and leave as soon as possible,” Ethan added. “Who knows, we might even have some fun while we’re here.” The expression on his face showed he didn’t have many hopes and nor did his men.
“I guess anything is possible,” Conrad said, scowling.
“Khalil, James, while we’re here I want you to scan the planet. Check its flora and wild fauna; try to find any people’s settlement as well as water sources.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Khalil replied.
“Keep it low. I don’t want our hosts to know about this,” Ethan said. “Send the probes camouflaged and the smallest we have.”
“Will do, boss,” James nodded.
They all went to their rooms, but Ethan stayed on the balcony for a little longer, examining the balcony. He could jump to the ground. That height wasn’t something he couldn’t deal with, but he was sure there were security cameras all over the place, and he didn’t want to cause any problem with their hosts. At least, not for now.
He needed a bit more information on what was going on there and if he should interfere. After all, the native people could be more than pleased with the whole situation.
Taking a deep breath, he relished the fresh air, something he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, and he could see two moons coming up.
The walls were too high to see much of anything beyond them so he couldn’t tell if the other colonies were close, but they hadn’t seen one while they were descending. Any colony had to be far from the city they were in.
After a few minutes, he went back to the room and right to the bathroom. Despite the city’s medieval look, their technology was far more advanced than the one he had seen on Earth and on most planets he had visited in the past years.
He took a quick shower, and when he came out of the bathroom wrapped in a small towel, he was surprised to see an old female alien was there waiting for him.
The woman didn’t belong to the same species as Vlyse and most of the people he had seen on the planet. He guessed she was from one of the other colonies, and these people were a lot more similar to the humans than the Dreshanians. In fact, the woman looked a lot like the elves he had seen in fairy tale books, including the fair skin, the almost white hair and the pointy ears.
Despite her obvious old age, the woman was still incredibly beautiful.
“Greetings, citizen. My name is Olannie, and I’m here to assist you in any way possible,” she introduced herself, bowing her head.
“Thank you.”
“I brought you a few tunics for you to choose the one to wear during the night meal, citizen,” she informed, signaling a rack she had rolled into the room.
“Do I have to?” he asked, not very pleased with the idea of wearing a tunic like the ones he had seen on the other people in the city.
“It is expected of all the king’s guests, citizen,” she replied, politely.
He sighed, and walked towards the rack, trying to pick the least garish tunic of them all. He finally found a navy blue one with just a few silver embroideries around the collar and the hem of the sleeves.
The woman handed him a pair of loose pants made of the same fabric of the tunic, and he returned to the bathroom to put them on. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he was pleased to see he didn’t look as ridiculous as the Dreshanians.
He returned to the bedroom. “This one will do, thank you.”
She nodded, with a polite smile. “Would you like anything to eat or drink before the night meal?” she asked.
“No, thank you, I can wait.”
“Very well. You can use this device to summon me, no matter what time of the day or night,” she informed him, handing him a small device.
He nodded, putting the device in one of his pants pockets. “May I ask you a few questions, Olannie?”
“Yes, of course, Citizen Ethan. I’ll do my best to answer them,” she accepted.
“Where are you from, Olannie?”
“I’m native from this planet, Citizen Ethan. I’m an Athean.”
Ethan identified a hint of pride in her tone, and it immediately made him wonder what she was doing there. “I was told your people lived in the planet’s wild woods,” he pointed out.
She became even paler than she already was. �
��Yes, most of my people live freely out there,” she agreed.
“Why are you here, then?”
The woman’s expression changed completely, and he knew she wouldn’t answer that question with the truth.
“It’s my duty, Citizen Ethan. If you no longer need my services, I must return to my workstation. Please, call me if you need me.”
“I will, thank you.”
He watched her leave the room pushing the rack with the rest of the tunics cursing his impatience. He should have been more careful with her.
Curious to know if Conrad had received a similar visit, he went looking for his captain, making sure to use the balcony door, and not the one on the hallway.
The woman was still there, trying to convince his friend to put in one of the tunics.
“Conrad, just choose one and put it on. You need it to attend the night meal, and I want you there with me,” he ordered.
“These things look like women’s clothes,” Conrad grumbled.
“But they’re not. Stop whining and put one on,” Ethan insisted before he turned and smiled at the old woman assisting Conrad. “You must forgive my friend’s reluctance to wear one of these outfits. They’re a bit different from what we’re used to.”
The woman granted him a forced smile. “It’s not my place to judge, citizen,” she said, in a low tone.
She looked pretty much like Olannie, perhaps a bit younger, but she was certainly an Athean.
“We know you’re not judging. He’s just grumbling,” Ethan assured her, with his best smile.
The woman made her best effort to stamp a smile on her face, but Ethan could tell she was feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“I’m here to help you, as best as I can,” she said, in a low tone.
“You’re an Athean, right? I just met one of your colleagues,” Ethan said, determined to get more information from this woman. But her reaction ruined his plans.
Fear covered her eyes, and she clearly gulped. “Yes, all the female servants at the palace are Atheans, citizen,” she replied, organizing the rest of the tunics, eager to leave and escape his uncomfortable questions.
“I believed your people preferred to live out in the woods,” he repeated the question, to see if he would get a different answer.
Her lips quivered, but she quickly regained control over her emotions. “Yes, we do, but we also praise our duty which is to serve the king and his guests,” she assured him, turning to look at Conrad. “Will you need anything else before the night meal?” she asked, with a faint smile.
“No, thank you, I’m good,” Conrad assured her, and both men watched her leave the room, pushing the tunics racks with a bit more haste than expected.
“What was all that?” Conrad asked Ethan, intrigued.
Ethan shook his head and invited him out to the balcony. “The woman that came to help me drew my attention,” he explained, through their private channel, as soon as they reached the balcony. “I asked her a few questions, and it turned out both women belong to the native people of this planet,” he added.
“Perhaps, they have some sort of agreement,” Conrad pointed out.
“Yes, perhaps, but the expression on their faces tells a whole different story,” he assured his friend.
“You’re probably right, but we can’t know for sure, not unless we get the chance to talk to the Atheans and I doubt the Dreshanians would ever allow us to,” Conrad agreed.
“Yes, I’m sure of that too,” and he wasn’t pleased with it. “Either way, I want you to be attentive and let me know about your findings.”
His friend nodded, and they returned to their room.
A few minutes later one of the guards came looking for them. It was time to meet the king for dinner.
The dining room was quite impressive and other than themselves, they were surprised to find quite a wide variety of people, clearly from other planets, gathered there.
Vlyse seemed to notice Ethan’s intrigue. “The king thought it would be a good idea to invite some of the people from our established colonies, for dinner,” he explained. “That way, you can have their testimony, before we pay them a visit in the following days.”
“That’s very thoughtful of the king,” he replied, sure they were being manipulated.
Despite that, dinner was a nice event, and they were able to collect some information from the people from the colonies. Ethan was sure the information was censored, but at that point, it didn’t matter that much.
“The colonies are almost completely self-sufficient,” one of the Cetians established in Dreshan told him. “We only need to import a few items, mostly luxurious ones that we don’t manufacture ourselves or that none of our neighbors produce. Colonies first trade among themselves, before looking to satisfy their needs off the planet, in the intergalactic markets.”
“That sounds interesting. Your colonies must be larger than this one if you have enough soil to grow your food and raise your cattle,” he asked, curious.
“Yes, of course. Ilea is the only colony with no agriculture lands. Part of our deal is to provide for them, and in exchange, they make sure we have all we need and protect our colonies,” the Cetian explained. “We’re not allowed to have our own private armies in the colonies.”
“Isn’t it a bit dangerous? As far as I was able to see, each colony is quite far from each other. How do they protect you from here?” Conrad asked, joining the conversation.
“We have a few of the king’s men stationed in each colony. They respond only to the king or the council, but their main job is to protect us,” he replied, and Ethan was surprised to see how convinced the other man sounded, though a suspicious shine in his eyes made him think things weren’t that clear.
“Have you ever had any problems with the local natives?” he asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
“No, not us, at least. But I’ve heard they have given some trouble to the king, but clearly, nothing they couldn’t handle,” the Cetian assured them. “If you decide to move here, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the way things are done. It’s truly a home away from home.”
Now Ethan was sure there was sarcasm in the other man’s tone, but he chose not to comment on it. “Thank you, your information it has been very helpful,” Ethan thanked the reptilian man.
“It was my pleasure. I look forward to seeing you again. Make sure Vlyse brings you to our colony,” he suggested, with a smile.
“We will, thank you.”
“It’s just too good to be true,” Conrad mumbled, in a low tone.
“Exactly what I think.”
Chapter Five
Dinner finally ended, and they were escorted back to their rooms. Ethan wanted to go out and explore the surroundings, but he was sure he wouldn’t be allowed and sneaking out alone was too dangerous. He could be spotted by the guards. Besides, he had no idea what kind of creature he might find out there, and he didn’t want to expose the rest of his men to any kind of danger.
Who knows what the king and Vlyse would do to them if he disappeared? He would have to find another way.
“We have guests,” Olannie warned Neela.
“How many?” the young woman asked with a deep frown on her forehead.
“I counted eight. They’re all staying at the northwest wing. Apparently, they are interested in one of the king’s colonies,” Olannie explained, oozing scorn through every word that came out her lips.
A chill of dread ran down Neela’s spine. She knew that meant the king would want to treat the guests like royalty. “I won’t be able to escape this time,” she mumbled, through gritted teeth, hating the whole situation.
Olannie shook her head with sorrow. “You knew this moment would come sooner or later,” she muttered.
“Yes, but that doesn’t make things any better,” Neela grumbled.
The older woman cradled her face. “Please, promise me you won’t do anything stupid like fighting this,” she asked, caressing her cheeks.
“How can you ask me that, Olannie?” she cried, frustrated.
“Because I’ve been in your shoes, girl. Fighting your destiny will only bring pain and desperation, Neela and in the end, they will win,” she warned her and Neela knew she was telling her the truth.
All the women working at the palace had been part of the king’s harem at some point in their lives. The Dreshanians were known for their lust and promiscuity, and regrettably, they seemed to have developed a special taste for Athean women, over the years.
Her people had been suffering for it ever since the Dreshanians arrived on their planet. Being a girl was considered a heavy burden, and everybody knew the price you might pay for it.
“I can’t simply accept it, I just can’t.”
“Please, if you can’t do it for yourself, do it for all of us. You know we’ll all pay the price if you put up a fight,” Olannie begged.
Neela stepped back cursing to herself. Of course, she knew. She had paid it herself when one of the girls had insulted one of the council members. They had all paid for the offense. “This is so unfair,” she ranted.
“I know, and I wish there were something we could do about it, but there isn’t,” Olannie assured her. “If they choose you, and this time, they will, just go out there and send your mind back home. By the time you come back, everything will be over.”
She had been practicing that technique ever since she had been brought to the castle, but Neela doubted she would have the necessary serenity to evoke her inner peace and set her mind free. She knew it was possible, she just doubted she would be able to do it when every single ounce of her body wanted to fight.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the arrival of Typsea silenced her. The Dreshanian female was the harem ruler. There wasn’t a woman inside those walls that didn’t hate her, and she relished the fact.
She never showed up alone, and some of the girls thought her guards were even worse than her. Neela wasn’t sure.
The harem women quickly gathered up in the main room. Making Typsea wait was a very bad idea.
“As I’m sure you already know, we have special guests at the palace,” she said, with her usual cold tone. “I want you to go visit them and make them happy. You all know what’s expected of you and you also know I will not accept failure.”
