They had? Emily shot T’lan a startled glance. All she had heard was a general muttering—she kept forgetting that T’lan’s hearing far surpassed her own. The thought that people who she had known all of her life had made those kinds of remarks was both frightening and infuriating. How could they think that way?
“You have to understand that they didn’t know the situation. If I can get the word out, it should help,” said William.
T’lan considered her boss for a moment. “Why do you care?”
A weary look came over William’s face, and he suddenly looked his age. “I don’t know what Emily has told you, but I was a reporter for a large newspaper organization. I covered war zones. I saw what war did to the inhabitants of villages that were fought over. What happened when neighbors chose sides against each other. I don’t want Elmwood to be one of those towns, torn apart by fighting.”
“There would be no fight,” T’lan responded grimly. “But your reasoning is sound. Do you have more questions?”
“Leaving Elmwood aside, why are the Yehrin really here on Earth? Your original message was of assistance. The second message told us we were under your control.”
Emily suppressed a gasp, astonished that William had been so forthright. Somewhat to her surprise, T’lan answered him.
“The message delivered by S’mathan was correct. Earth does need assistance. You are at a dangerous time in your development. We have seen many planets reach the point where you are now. You have enough technology to destroy yourselves and your planet. We are here to ensure that you use that technology to move ahead instead.”
“Assuming that those are your intentions, why did you declare martial law?” William didn’t back down.
“The attempts to move ahead peacefully were met with violence.”
“Do you really think that humans were responsible for the explosion?” William asked.
Emily jerked and had to suppress an exclamation. T’lan’s questioning suddenly made more sense. The green light she had seen, the complete destruction of the building, was that even possible with human technology?
“It does not matter. Violence will not be permitted.”
“Unless you’re the ones committing it?” William asked dryly. Completely into his role as reporter, he seemed to have forgotten that he was talking to an alien with both superior strength and weaponry.
“We do not start violence, but we will end it,” T’lan said. Not a hint of softness crossed his face. William took in his stern demeanor and moved on.
“How do you intend to help us move ahead?”
“By things like the car filters and the flying train?” Emily interjected.
“Correct. The atmosphere must be corrected. We will not allow this planet to be destroyed by your failures.”
“What about the people on the planet. Do they need to be saved as well?”
“Yes.” T’lan’s eyes flicked to Emily. “Perhaps more than you realize. However, that does not mean that preserving humanity takes precedence over preserving the planet.”
“I see…Are there any other positive changes the Yehrin are making that you can tell us about?”
T’lan glanced down at his wrist device and frowned. “We are equipping hospitals with advanced scanners.”
Good grief. All of Emily’s marketing instincts rushed in. “T’lan, if William is going to write a positive article, he needs a little more than that. Why is the scanner a good thing? How can it help? It would be even better if you had an example of someone that it did help.”
“I do not have examples, it is not my area of expertise.” When Emily maintained an expectant silence, he added, “Now that it has been calibrated for humans, it can diagnose most diseases in the earliest stages. A cancerous tumor could be detected and removed when it is no more than a few cells.”
“Doesn’t that sound better than just saying an advanced scanner?” she asked.
William laughed. “You certainly have a knack for giving things a positive spin, Emily. Now, Commander—”
“Enough. No more questions,” T’lan growled.
William cleared his throat but continued, “Just one more question. What happens to those people who are found outside after curfew?”
T’lan raised an eyebrow. “Is that an answer you wish to publish?”
“I don’t know. I suppose it depends on what actually happens to them.”
Emily held her breath while T’lan considered. The mysterious disappearances were one of the main reasons that people were so suspicious of the Yehrin.
“They are judged,” T’lan eventually responded.
“Judged?”
“To find out why they disobeyed. Some reasons are acceptable. Some are not.”
“If they are acceptable?”
“Then they are relocated.”
“And if they are not acceptable?”
“They are punished.” T’lan’s response didn’t encourage any further exploration of the topic.
Silence filled the room. Glancing at William, Emily knew he wanted to pursue the topic but after studying T’lan, he looked at her. She shook her head.
“Very well,” William said at last. “I have your permission to put this interview in the paper?”
“Yes.”
“I suppose if it’s not acceptable, it will never actually reach the newsstands?”
T’lan smiled, showing every one of those pointed white teeth. William paled and nodded.
“Emily, although I certainly understand, I’m sorry that you couldn’t keep working.” He shot a glance at T’lan. “If you have any articles that you would like to submit on a freelance basis, I would be happy to consider them.”
“Especially if they deal with the Yehrin?” She raised an eyebrow.
“It couldn’t hurt,” he agreed.
Emily and T’lan accompanied William to the door. After he left, she stood in the hallway for a moment. Nothing that T’lan had said really surprised her, but she kept returning to his answers about the curfew breakers.
“T’lan, when you said the people who broke curfew but had an acceptable reason were relocated, where did they go?”
He met her eyes, “I cannot answer that.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“I will never lie to you, M’lee, but there are some things I am not allowed to tell you.”
Emily didn’t like his answer, but she couldn’t argue with it.
“Can you tell me what happened to the ones that were punished?”
“Are you sure that you want to know?”
“Yes.”
“If they were intent on violence, they were disposed of.”
“What if they were women?” she whispered. Were all his protective gestures a sham?
“No, they would not be harmed.” He hesitated. “But they would face your equivalent of prison.”
Her eyes filled with tears. He sounded so ruthless, so different from the male who watched her closely and protected her. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was to get away from him.
“I need to think. I want to go for a walk.”
“I still do not think that it is wise, but I will accompany you if you truly wish to go.” He watched her closely.
She sighed. “I suppose that means I can’t go alone?”
“Of course not.”
Pacing down the streets of town with her bodyguard wasn’t going to do anything to resolve her issues. She needed some type of physical outlet to relive her frustrations and give herself a chance to think.
“Fine. I’ll just go work in the garden instead.”
He tilted his head inquiringly and she shook her head. “Never mind. I’ll stay close to home. I’m going to change.”
She turned for the stairs and he was behind her immediately.
“T’lan, stop. I’m just going upstairs to change my clothes. I don’t want you to go with me. I need some privacy.”
‘You could injure yourself, my L’chka.”
“I
could injure myself by doing almost anything. I could choke on a piece of bread. I could trip over my feet and hit my head on the floor. I have been walking up and down these stairs my whole life. Just let me be!” Her voice rose until she was yelling at the top of her lungs. T’renan poked his head out of her grandmother’s bedroom and Gran appeared at the entrance to the living room. All of them looked worried.
“Everyone, just leave me alone!”
Tears flowing down her cheeks, she stormed up the stairs. Somewhat to her surprise, T’lan actually let her go. Closing the door to her room harder than necessary, she dropped onto the bed and gave in to her tears. Spending every minute with T’lan, it was easy to forget—not so much that he was an alien because he reminded her of that all the time—but that he was part of an alien race that for all intents and purposes had conquered her planet. He didn’t show any remorse about killing humans. How could she reconcile that with his apparent devotion to her? And his race, while ruthless, was actually helping them in many ways. Did that just make them slightly more benevolent overlords?
Eventually her tears diminished, and she scrubbed her cheeks with her hands and sat up. Her situation hadn’t changed. She was still pregnant with a half-alien baby and T’lan still seemed to want to care for her more than anything else. Maybe some time outside pulling weeds would help to clear her head. Sighing, she got up and slipped off her dress. She tried on the blue jean shorts she usually wore for gardening but could no longer fasten them. Great. Feeling guilty, she smoothed a hand over her ever-increasing baby bump. Sorry, peanut. Settling for a loose pair of track shorts with an elastic waist, she pulled on an old Grateful Dead tee shirt with the sleeves cut off and the neckline slashed. She thought about reapplying her minimal makeup but grumpily decided it didn’t matter. Finally, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
T’renan and Gran had disappeared but T’lan still stood at the bottom of the stairs. They stared at each other for a moment.
“I’m coming down. Stay where you are,” she warned.
To her surprise, he complied and remained at the bottom of the stairs. She stopped when their faces were at the same level. He met her eyes solemnly and she was willing to bet he looked worried.
“Are you not content, my L’chka?”
“No, I’m not content.”
He frowned. “What can I do to make you content?”
“Stop killing humans.”
“That is not within my control…But I will not lie to you, M’lee. Even if it was within my control, I would not change it. Discipline must be maintained.”
“Discipline?”
“Do you not have laws? And are people not punished for breaking those laws?”
“Of course we do. But punishment doesn’t mean killing them. Well, not unless they deserve it.” She realized how unconvincing that sounded and sighed. “I just can’t deal with this right now. I’m going to go pluck some weeds.”
Chapter Sixteen
T’lan followed M’lee through the house, momentarily distracted by the way her brief garments cupped her lush ass and displayed her curvy legs. Despite his appreciation, he could not ignore her unhappiness, even though nothing would change the fact that he was a warrior. He wished it caused her less pain, but hopefully, she would learn to accept it.
Pausing in the kitchen to pick up a woven basket, she headed for the back door. He stepped in front of her, gently restraining her as he checked the rear of the domicile.
A covered area stretched across the entire back of the building. Beyond that, a rectangular paved area was surrounded by flowers. Behind the paving, an expanse of green lawn separated neat rows of vegetables down one side, from a large tree that provided shade along the other. He approved of the neat wooden fence surrounding the area. It would be no match for Yehrin weaponry, but it provided a partial barrier and privacy for the area. At the rear, a small gate lead through to the back part of the property where some smaller trees and scrubby undergrowth led down to a small stream. Their vessel was now located in that area, invisible to human eyes.
The grandmother sat on one side of the enclosed area with a basket full of vegetables on her lap. T’chok sat at the table and chairs on the other side of the expanse, using his tablet to prepare the report from his investigation. The small sekhmet lay at his feet, watching him and panting gently in the warm air. He looked up when the door opened and hurried over to M’lee, chirping excitedly.
“Hi, Tribs. Are you watching the big bad warriors?” M’lee scooped up the small pet as she slipped past T’lan without a word. “Gran, do you need me to help shell those peas?”
“No, I’ve got it.” She eyed M’lee’s basket. “Did you want something to do?”
“I was going to pull some weeds—unless you have something else in mind?”
“Can you pick some vegetables? As always, I have too many zucchinis. Can you gather them before they get any bigger? Not sure what I’m going to do with them. Normally I would make zucchini bread, but if you’re not enjoying sweets, I’ll think of something else. Maybe get some tomatoes, too?”
“Okay, Gran.” Still ignoring T’lan, M’lee stepped down to the two steps to the garden level and moved to the vegetable patch. A determined look on her face, she started her harvest. Tribs frolicked around her feet, making occasional excursions into the jungle of larger plants nearer the fence. Keeping a watchful eye on her, T’lan moved down to T’chok.
“Report,” he ordered in Yehrin.
“Yes, Commander. I started outside the establishment. There were traces of paint on the pavement and I was able to follow them to a discarded can at one side of the area. I was successful in obtaining DNA samples.”
T’lan started to demand the results but restrained his impatience and waited for T’chok to proceed.
“I entered the store in cloaked guise. A superior was reprimanding one of the workers. I believe that she was the cashier that the Elder Female referenced. The superior told her that she must treat all customers with respect. She protested that aliens were unnatural and ungodly, and he told her that she should accept that we are in charge. He asked her if she intended to confront us. She did not.”
The two males exchanged a brief, fierce grin.
“However, before she returned to her post, she called her mate. From what I heard, he does think he can challenge us.”
“You have his information?”
“Yes. Based on my preliminary search, he is not a member of a resistance group. He prefers to hear the sound of his own voice and make empty threats.”
“That type can be dangerous if they receive sufficient encouragement.”
“Agreed.” T’chok looked down at his tablet. “Once the female went back to her post, she continued discussing alien invasions and collaborators. She specifically mentioned the Elder Female and M’lee. Most did not encourage her; however, I saw some signs of agreement.”
Anger flared through T’lan that this human dared to insult his L’chka, and the other female who carried such spirit. “She must be removed.”
“Agreed. How do you wish to do it?”
T’lan considered his options. His initial inclination was to remove her publicly, sending a clear message that her behavior would not be allowed. Such an action would inspire fear but could also encourage a temporary increase in unrest. The possible threat did not concern him, but he found himself reluctant to aggravate the situation in the town.
“Have her disappear. Use T’yarmaa’s squad.” That would also cause fear, but it would also cause uncertainty, leaving the humans off balance.
“And the mate?” T’chok asked.
“Perhaps it would be best to leave him in place. Increase the monitoring on his communications. Let us see if he has any contacts.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“And the DNA?” T’lan went back to the original attack.
“Two young males. I believe they were classmates of M’lee at a younger age.”
“Take
them as well.” His preference would be to avenge her honor with his sword, but he suspected M’lee would disapprove if she were to find out. And there was no sport in fighting untrained warriors. “Anything else to report?”
“I talked to T’yarmaa. He has been able to confirm that half of the fleet have a fully intact supply of tesrekh. His team is progressing through the others.”
“Very well,” T’lan acknowledged.
Both males turned their attention to the garden. M’lee’s basket was almost full. Her face was flushed and her skin glistened. It reminded him of how she looked when they were in bed together, and his cock began to stiffen. The rise in her body temperature also increased her scent and it wafted toward his face and left him fighting the urge to throw her down in the soft dirt and arouse her naked body until she acknowledged his claim and accepted his mating. The thought only increased the hardness of his shaft.
As if she felt his gaze, she looked up. Their eyes met across the open space and her tongue came out to stroke her lower lip. The memory of their kiss surged through him. He had never had such an amazing sensual experience and all he could think of was repeating it. He took an involuntary step in her direction, but her eyes widened and she stepped back. No, it was not the appropriate time. The color on her cheeks increased as she returned to her chores, but he maintained his scrutiny. Still trying to ignore him, she filled the basket and bent to pick it up.
“No,” he growled. He was at her side before she reached the handles. She jumped, and he caught her arm to make sure she did not fall. Tribs yelped and scurried back as well.
“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.
“You will not carry heavy objects.”
“It’s really not that heavy...” Her voice trailed off as she read his unrelenting posture. “Oh, fine.”
Lifting it with one arm, he held out his other hand. She regarded it for a long moment, but eventually reached out and grasped it. Letting out a silent breath of relief, he led her to the porch.
“Sit down, sweetie. You look hot.” The Elder Female gave M’lee a concerned look over her spectacles.
Alien Conquest Page 13
