by M. A. Church
Hamza completely agreed. Once they were in the corridor, Captain Munn directed which of his crew members would escort everybody. The door to the transporter room opened, and the royal guards filed out.
“Good, they’re here,” Captain Munn said. “May I show you, the royal consort, the king father, and the royal guards the way?”
“We would appreciate that,” Hamza said. Captain Munn kept pace with him as they walked down the corridor to the electrolift, which they took to another level. “So, Raiden and Dayo are here?”
“Yes, Sire. They are.” Captain Munn’s lips twitched. “As is Dayo’s arkhim, Sishya.”
“Not a fan of Sishya?”
“Oh, Sire, it isn’t that. I….” Captain Munn shrugged good-naturedly. “I am in command of the Unity. No one, not even Dayo really, is in command of the arkhim. I don’t fear the animal. Please don’t think that. I do respect Sishya, though. I respect anyone or anything that has the power that animal does.”
“I’ve seen it at a distance. It appeared in Dayo and Szin’s birthing suite. It was right before the palace was attacked. It was only later I found out what Sishya did.”
Captain Munn stopped. “My condolences, King Hamza. Your dabba was a strong and honorable male. I granted asylum to that Ne Reynian shuttle before actually having permission from King Duran. Which was something I wouldn’t normally have done, but there simply wasn’t time to ask. King Duran could’ve refused the request, brought charges against me, or even demoted me. Instead, he backed me. More than that, he saved those males. But I grieve that his generosity cost him his life.”
Hamza laid his hand on the captain’s arm. “Please, don’t. Even if he could’ve somehow seen into the future and known what his actions would’ve brought, I don’t think he would’ve done any differently. Because you’re right—he was strong and honorable. He did the right thing, and so did you.”
“Thank you, Sire.” Captain Munn started walking again. Finally he stopped outside a door. “Here you go, your quarters. Sire? My comm link has been sent to yours. We will arrive at Ne Reyn in just under five unit hours. Since the Unity isn’t taking part in the battle, we will be the last to drop out of warp. If you have questions, please let me know.”
“Thank you,” Hamza said.
“Crown Prince Jolak, if you will follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters. Then I’ll show the royal guards to theirs. You are all on this corridor. No one else.”
“Thank you again, Captain.” Hamza pressed the palm plate, and it beeped, signifying it accepted his signature, and the door slid open.
Chapter Twenty-three – Hamza
EXACTLY FIVE unit hours later, the Unity dropped out of warp a good distance from the planet Ne Reyn. In a conference room, Hamza, Neo, and Jolak were seated at a long table. With them were Keyno, Dale, Szin, and Takeo. Gibor and Chad were sitting across from their King. Malk and Kia were also there, as was Laken. Doc and John sat near Jolak. Several royal guards stood at the door. Raiden and Dayo were on the Bridge, of course, with Captain Munn.
On a large viewing screen, they watched the first conflict of Hamza’s reign. The battle already raged by the time they arrived. Large chunks of ships drifted in space. The flashes of weapons was constant. Explosions danced across Ne Reynian battleships, but the Tah’Narian ships were not without damage.
Hamza clenched his fist at each hit to their starships. Keyno spoke quietly in his ear, describing the battle as only a captain of a starship could. Gibor and Malk added insight from their own personal experience as officers who once served aboard Keyno’s starship.
Hamza prayed to the gods the loss of Tah’Narian life was low. Keyno’s comm buzzed. “Sire? Captain Munn says the Ne Reyn battleships are not willing to surrender. It’s going to take a little longer before the Unity can enter the Ne Reynian orbit.”
“Gods. They’re going to die for their beliefs,” Neo muttered.
“So be it,” Hamza declared. “They were offered the chance to surrender.”
They watched as the battle continued. More wreckage. More explosions. Hamza squinted at the viewing screen. Gods, were those bodies? He shuddered. They were. At least they were female. But what a way to die.
A good half unit hour passed before Keyno’s comm sounded again. “Sire, we are getting ready to approach Ne Reyn. The battle is over. Reports are starting to come in to the Unity. Our fleet has damage, of course, but it isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. None of our starships are out of commission.”
“Fatalities?” Hamza asked softly. How many Tah’Narian warriors died?
“Surprisingly low. So far, less than ten,” Keyno replied. “There are injuries, though. Plasma and radiation burns, various broken bones, several concussions… but overall, we came through this relatively unscathed. The Obsidian Cross will follow us into orbit. They also stayed back since most of the ground troops are located on that ship. The coordinates the grand lady gave have been communicated to Captain Munn. I understand she and her fighters await our ground troops. Our combined forces will try to overpower the palace.”
“And then?” Hamza asked.
“Once we have the castle under control, and Queen Ogill captured, Princess Dossi will be located and freed. Then we go from there.”
“We know for certain the queen is at her palace?”
“Yes, Sire. Our spy says so.”
Ah yes. The Blishue spy. “Did we ever get word on the condition of Princess Dossi?”
“I’m afraid not, Sire, at least not from our spy.”
“Damn. Let’s hope she survived, or we may have to fall back on Plan B, which was me talking Grand Lady Impur into becoming queen.” Hamza pinched the bridge of his nose. “Which I don’t think would be a problem, but I’d prefer the princess.”
“I don’t understand,” Keyno said.
“There’s something the Grand Lady said when we spoke. When I said I wanted all their males to have freedom, she said: ‘I do so solemnly promise and swear. That is my oath as part of the royal court and confidant to Princess Dossi.’ That first sentence, in particular, sound familiar, Keyno?”
Keyno leaned back in his chair. “It does. Those are the words you and Neo spoke during the Oath ceremony.”
“Which begs the question, is she actually of royal blood?” Hamza leaned across the table, staring at Keyno. “And if so, why is her title grand lady and not princess?”
“Something we may hopefully find out, but unless Princess Dossi is dead, it’s none of our business.” Keyno’s comm buzzed again. “Obsidian Cross has started beaming down troops. Now, we wait.”
Another two unit hours passed until Keyno’s comm buzzed again. “It’s over. We’re to report to Transporter Room A to beam down to the palace. Coordinates were sent by the grand lady. Queen Ogill has been captured, and Princess Dossi is alive. It’s time.”
Hamza caught Jolak’s eye. “Are you sure, Atat? You don’t have to be there.”
Jolak pushed to his feet. “I do. I want to see her punished for what she did to my mate. I want her life, Hamza.”
Hamza nodded. “So do I.”
“And I’m going too. I was pretty close to Duran. Keyno and I both were,” Dale spoke up. “I assume you will take Keyno, Gibor, and Malk with you.”
“Then I want to go also,” Kia said.
Everyone goggled at Kia.
“Are you sure?” Hamza asked. That he hadn’t seen coming. “I sort of figured everybody else would want to go, which is why we’re taking all my royal guards. But I didn’t think you would. Far be it for me to tell you what to do, Kia, but I certainly don’t want to trigger any bad memories.”
“I appreciate that, but that female caused me a lot of pain.” Kia rose. The tinkling of the bells he wore chimed softly. “I need closure, and her death will give me that.”
The general consensus was Queen Ogill had to die. Hamza had no problem with that.
“If you go, then I go,” Laken chimed in.
“We all go,”
Hamza declared. “We all loved Duran in one form or another. Keyno? Is it safe?”
“Relatively. Grand Lady Impur has control over the Queen’s Throne Room, which is where they’re holding Ogill. The only people there, outside of our males, are those with the resistance. Still, I’m glad the royal guards are going, and please make sure you have your phaser, Sire. That applies to everybody. Do not drop your guard, no matter what.”
“Well hell, and I left my favorite phaser at home.” Dale rolled his eyes. “Come on, Keyno. None of us mates have phasers. And do you really want to give Chad any kind of weapon?”
“Hey!” Chad, hands on hips, glared at Dale.
“Everybody will have a weapon, but mates will have theirs set to stun only. We will stop by the armory on the way to the transporter.” Keyno helped Dale to his feet. “You and Chad try not to shoot each other.”
“I heard that,” Chad griped.
They stopped by the armory and retrieved weapons, which Keyno and Malk immediately checked before giving to the mates. The trip to the transporter room passed entirely too quickly, as did beaming down to the coordinates given for the throne room.
Everywhere he looked, there was a distressing lack of land. Hamza knew ninety percent of the planet was covered in water and the Ne Reyn were amphibious. But seeing so little ground was startling, especially since Tah’Nar was a tropical planet, and they couldn’t breathe under water like the Ne Reyn.
There was shouting coming from the throne room. It was harsh and loud. Angry. The royal guards pulled their weapons and surrounded Hamza, Neo, and Jolak. “What the fuck?” Hamza snarled. “Keyno? I thought things were under control. That doesn’t sound like under control to me.”
“I—”
There was a thunderous clap of sound, and a bright light flashed. A swirling mist rapidly gave way to an animal—a white-scaled animal with crystal-like horns on its head and down its back.
“Oh. Holy. Shit.” Hamza gulped.
Sishya’s body morphed into an ugly gray color, and its scales rattled ominously. Tail whipping back and forth, it stood guard in front of Hamza, Neo, and Jolak, fangs bared. It stared at the throne room. The creature’s frightening snarls drowned out the screams. It roared, and everyone froze.
“Um….” Hamza didn’t dare take his eyes off the animal in front of them. “Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Keyno’s comm buzzed and, making no sudden movements, he lifted his arm and activated it.
“Warlord Shou? This is Captain Munn. Dayo is on my Bridge. He wants to know if Sishya just happened to show up. It appears Dayo asked the animal if it—what? Oh. Right. Sorry—Dayo asked if he, meaning Sishya, who is male it seems, would offer his help in this endeavor.”
Hamza closed his eyes, managed to take a full breath, then opened them. Unable to help himself, he laughed heartily. “Good gods.”
“Yes, Captain Munn, Sishya is here. Tell Dayo thank you.” Keyno waited a beat. “Although a little warning might’ve been nice.”
Hamza laughed louder.
“Understood. You might wish to remind King Hamza what I said about respecting anyone or anything that has the power that animal does. Captain Munn out.”
Keyno deactivated his comm. “Well, minus the heart attack, I feel better with him here.”
“As do I. Royal guards, enter the throne room, spread out, and verify it’s clear of hostiles,” Hamza said, Sishya standing next to him.
Once they were assured it was safe, Keyno led them inside and into a nightmare. Grand Lady Impur was there, as was Nak. Both were still in their ragged clothing, and if possible, they were covered in more bruises and dirt.
Instead of the traditional Ne Reynian sarong most males wore, Nak was in pants and a shirt. His long blue hair was not braided, and no bells sounded as he moved. Seeing that they were on the run, that made sense. Impur was a smaller female but still taller than Nak. She did have hair—females usually kept theirs shorter.
Her skin color was a lighter gray, but dark bruises were easily visible on her face and neck. She also wasn’t as muscular as the other females in the room. She, too, was dressed in pants and a shirt. Not a jewel was seen on her person.
But it was Princess Dossi’s presence that dominated the room. She was more the typical female warrior—hair shorn short, tall, muscular, and radiating menace. She too was bruised to hell and back. There was dried blood on her face and neck. Cuts decorated her arms, and some looked to be bad. A few of her fingers were bent in the wrong way.
The male who had his arms wrapped around her waist was the quintessential male Ne Reynian. He was small, delicate, and had long flowing hair that was braided. There were no bells or jewels, but he did wear the usual sarong. It was dirty, and the color was a murky green that had seen better days.
A dozen or so females, also obviously of the warrior class but with the resistance, stood at attention with an array of weapons plastered all over their bodies. Their uniforms were just as tattered, and they were just as bruised, but fire blazed in their eyes. Intermixed with them were smaller males. Just as many Tah’Narians guarded the room, hands on their phasers.
Queen Ogill was chained in the middle of the room, the center of attention. She was the one screaming—screaming obscenities, screaming threats, screaming in general. She looked as rough as everyone else.
Camars lifted his head and stepped back from Princess Dossi. Taking her hand, he led them toward Hamza and Neo. Several feet away, they stopped. Sishya twitched a whisker at them, then plopped his butt down next to Hamza. Sishya was still on alert, but he wasn’t growling. No, his attention was squarely on Queen Ogill.
“King Hamza, I presume?” Camars asked, eyeing the animal.
Hamza nodded. “I am. You are Camars?”
Camars bowed slightly. “I am. Um….”
“This is Sishya. He’s an arkhim who has bonded with Dayo Kwen, mate to Lieutenant Raiden Shou, both of the Unity.”
Camars blinked. “Did you say Shou?”
“Yes. Raiden and Dayo are part of the royal family.”
“Wow, I’ve heard of the arkhim. This Dayo is very lucky.” Princess Dossi nudged Camars. “Yes, yes, Ipo. Sorry, got distracted, but it isn’t every day I get to see an arkhim!” Camars sighed, then swiped at his face. It was red and tear-stained. “Thank you for your assistance. We wouldn’t have succeeded without you.” Another tear trickled down his cheek. “May I introduce Princess Dossi.” Camars’ breath sawed in and out. “She would… she would greet… gods, I… I’m s-sorry, sorry but….”
He turned toward his mate, burying his face against her shoulder. His body shook violently. She caressed his hair, then kissed his temple. She grunted. Sniffling, Camars nodded. “Okay, okay.” He lifted his head. “I apologize. Princess Dossi would greet you herself, but s-she cannot. Queen Ogill c-c-c-cut out her tongue because of the w-words of treason she spoke against the crown.”
Neo covered his mouth with his hands, but his gasp was clearly heard.
“I am so sorry, Princess Dossi. That a mother would do such to her own young is something I cannot fathom. I simply cannot. I don’t know what to say.” Helpless, Hamza did the next best thing he could think of. He bowed low, as a king would to a queen, then straightened. “I ask your forgiveness, Princess. I wish we could have gotten here sooner—wish we could have stopped such an atrocity. If you still desire to hold the crown, I’ll stand by you. I offer an alliance, a friendship, and any help I can.”
Dossi blinked. She motioned to Impur, who hurried forward with an old-looking tablet. She quickly tapped on it and showed it to Camars. He stared up at her for a moment, then he nodded. “Princess Dossi says she will be queen, and that she gladly accepts your offer of an alliance, a friendship, and any help you can offer.”
Dossi held out her hand, and Impur pulled a dagger from a sheath on her hip and gave it to Dossi. Dossi then offered it to Hamza, the butt of the knife first.
“She also offers you th
e chance to strike the killing blow.”
And there it was, the one thing he’d waited for. Dreamed about. Pursued and damn near destroyed his mate, himself, and his kingdom over. He took the wicked-looking thing. Turning it slightly, light bounced off the blade.
He turned to Queen Ogill, who smirked back at him.
“Because of you, I lost my dabba, a male I loved dearly. Because of you, my atat, Jolak, lost his mate. My world lost its beloved king. Because of you, vengeance ruled me, and I almost lost my relationship with my mate. Because of you, I almost became what you are—heartless and cruel. Without love.”
“Love,” Queen Ogill sneered. “Love is nothing more than a weakness. You say I almost destroyed you? Love is what almost destroyed you.”
“You poor, foolish female.” When he’d asked Neo earlier what he should do about taking Ogill’s life, Neo had said to do whatever Hamza thought he could live with, that would let him sleep at night, and finally, what wouldn’t require losing parts of himself.
“Love is what saved me.”
“You hold the knife, but do you have the guts to use it?”
“You don’t get it. A flick of the wrist, a fast swipe of the hand, and your life ends. Easy. But living is harder than dying. Forgiveness is harder than acceptance. You dying by my hand won’t bring back King Duran.”
Queen Ogill cackled. “I knew it. See? Do you see, Dossi? This is why males should never be given power. They are weak—weak of mind and weak of spirit.” She waved her hand at Hamza. “This is what you’re determined to bring our species to, you ignorant female.”
“And sometimes,” Hamza continued, ignoring her. “Sometimes giving up the quest for vengeance is necessary, especially when there is one who has more of a right than I do to your life.” Hamza faced Princess Dossi, giving his back to Queen Ogill, a marked insult. “Your mother committed a grave offense against me, true, but she committed an even greater one against you.”
“Hamza?”
Hamza never glanced away from Princess Dossi, but he did answer. “Yes, Atat?”
“Are you sure?”
